Urban Forests & Climate Change: Urban Forest Project Protocol

Adapted from:” McPherson, E.G.; J.R. Simpson; P.J. Peper; and E. Aguaron. 2008. Urban Forestry and Climate Change. Albany, CA: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. Available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/topics/urban-forests/

The Urban Forest Project Protocol, one of many protocols developed by the Climate Action Reserve, seeks to increase carbon storage by urban trees and quantify how tree planting, maintenance, and improved management activities reduce greenhouse gases. The Protocol provides detailed guidance to ensure that tree projects meet eligibility requirements, produce …

Urban Forestry and Carbon Storage


Carbon Storage in Urban ForestsExcerpt from: Ryan, M.G., M.E. Harmon, R.A. Birdsey, C.P. Giardina, L.S. Heath, R.A. Houghton, R.B. Jackson, D.C. McKinley, J.F. Morrison, B.C. Murray, D.E. Pataki, and K.E. Skog. 2010. A Synthesis of the Science on Forests and Carbon for U.S. Forests. Issues in Ecology, Report Number 13, Spring 2010.

Urban forestry offers very limited potential to store carbon, but we address urban forests here because of the large interest in using them to offset carbon emissions and because urban trees provide …

Drought Risk and Tree Planting

Shelterwood planting
Shelterwood planting

The PINEMAP team produced a helpful publication on whether To Plant or Not to Plantwhich includes a checklist of eight items for consideration before planting tree seedlings. The Fact Sheet, produced by the Texas Forest Service and Texas Agrilife Extension Service, refers to Texas, but the process for timber stand drought risk assessment is broadly applicable and not time-limited.  Important considerations before planting include working with a qualified professional, assessing the site quality and soil moisture, …

Oregon Forests and Climate Change

Oregon State University Forestry & Natural Resources Extension started a blog in 2015 on Oregon Forests and Climate Change. The goal of the blog is to assist Oregon’s private forest owners in understanding basic climate science principles, anticipated impacts on managed forests, and options for adaptation and management. Several articles have posted to this blog already, and we provide specific links to them here. As OSU Forestry and Natural Resources Extension updates the blog, we will add the new …

A Regional View of Invasive Plants

How does what I do in my yard, on my land and in my garden affect what plants invade our forests and grasslands?  What has happened on the land where you live (its history of use), and what you plant now, can have a long-lasting impact. Land use legacies appear to play a large role in the patterns of invasive plants and the impacts they may have. The progression of time shows how well a plant manages to spread, and …

Landowners Can Apply Strategies to Help Forests Adapt to Climate Change

Photo 1: Forest trees get ready for fall on top of Mt. Lemmon in Arizona. Photo credit: Martha Gebhardt.

By Martha Gebhardt, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona

 

Forest vulnerability is expected to increase in decades to come, according to a draft of the National Climate Assessment released in January of 2013. The report stated that as temperatures continue to rise, droughts, insect outbreaks, and wildfires would all occur more regularly. The forestry chapter of …

Online Tools for Natural Resource Management Scenarios That Address Climate Change

Fig. 1. Map from Climate Change Tree Atlas showing projected distribution of Eastern white pine.

The tasks of developing and evaluating natural resource management plan options that address potential climate change impacts can be complex and varied. Each year, new tools become available to help land and resource managers, landowners, scientists, and other stakeholders create management plans and adaptation strategies that allow for future changes should unexpected outcomes arise. The following online resources are examples of these tools.

Climate Change 

Unraveling Public Perceptions about Climate Change

Confusion among the public about climate change is plentiful. People use varying terminology to discuss climate change and have varying thoughts about the extent to which climate change exists, why climate change is occurring, and how problematic climate change is. Psychologists and communication experts have studied public perceptions about climate change. This article summarizes their findings and suggests elements that natural resource specialists might find most useful.

What Do People Call the Warming of the Earth’s Atmosphere?

Experts use the …

National Workshop on Climate and Forests Poster Abstracts – May 17th, 2011


National Workshop on Climate and Forests

Poster Session Abstracts, May 17, 2011

DuBois Conference Center, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona

The following are posters that were presented during the Poster Session of the National Workshop on Climate and Forests. A few have been made available by the authors. For additional questions or information, please contact authors indicated for each poster.

Links to Individual Poster Abstracts

ALL POSTER ABSTRACTS

WHY URBAN TREES MATTER

IMPROVING FOREST RESILIENCY WITH BIOCHAR

SOILS AND CLIMATE

Management Strategies for Family Forests

An Ohio forest
Figure 1. Millions of American families own forested land.

Written by Eli Sagor, University of Minnesota

About Family Forests

The term “family forests” refers to forested or wooded property owned by individuals or families. This same ownership group is sometimes referred to in research as non-industrial private forest landowners. Family forests account for about 60% of the nation’s forested and wooded land, the vast majority of which is in ownerships smaller than 500 acres. The decisions that the nation’s 10.4 …