Superior National Forest: TomaInga Project | Climate Change Response Framework

This recent prescribed burn killed more than 80 percent of understory balsam in a mature pine stand, with less than 10 percent mortality of the overstory trees.

Project Area

A vicinity map for the TomaInga project.

The TomaInga project area covers 60,459 acres that are, of which over 48,000 (80%) are owned and managed by the Forest Service. Minnesota State Highway 1 runs through the middle of this project area, along with the Little Isabella River. This landscape lies just to the south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and contains numerous lakes and waterways. The area contains three primary Landscape Ecosystems: Dry-Mesic Red and White Pine, Jack Pine/ Black Spruce, and Lowland Conifer.

Management Goals

A red pine stand with good white pine regeneration in the TomaInga project area.

The project planning team for TomaInga used a Midlevel Assessment of forest conditions to establish some general goals and management directions for the project. In order to more closely match the desired conditions stated in the Forest Plan, the TomaInga project will generally attempt to:

Increase the young age class in all Landscape Ecosystems (LEs) through harvests and prescribed burns

Decrease acres of red pine and aspen in particular LEs

Increase acres of jack pine, white pine, and black spruce in particular LEs

Convert older, even-aged plantations to uneven or multi-aged stands through variable thinning or partial harvest methods

Reduce hazardous fuels and ladder fuels

Climate Change Impacts

For this project, the most important anticipated climate change impacts include:

Less frozen ground in the future could mean fewer harvest opportunities (particularly in southern tier with lowlands and mixed ownership)

Deer have increased in this project area as moose have declined, and climate change will likely continue this trend

75% of the pine stands in this project area are 80+ years old, so they may be more vulnerable to insects, disease, wind, and fire

Adaptation Actions

Project participants used the Adaptation Workbook to develop many possible adaptation actions for this project. The list will be considered and refined as the team develops the Proposed Action for the TomaInga project. Some of the ideas being considered include:

Area/Topic

Approach

Tactics

Entire project area

1.3. Maintain or restore riparian areas.

Plant more long-lived conifers in riparian areas - consider site characteristics and plant "decreasers" on northern aspects and plant more pines or hardwoods on southern aspects.

2.2. Prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive plant species and remove existing invasive species.
4.1. Prioritize and maintain unique sites.
4.2. Prioritize and maintain sensitive or at-risk species or communities.

Protect candidate Research Natural Areas and Unique Biological Areas from invasive species - tightly enforce BMPs

Tightly enforce BMPs in areas with sensitive plant species.

5.1. Promote diverse age classes.
7.1. Reduce landscape fragmentation.

Use stand-replacing fire to create a large, young patch

Harvest adjacent to young forest areas on other ownerships

Jack Pine/ Black Spruce

5.2. Maintain and restore diversity of native species.

Plant variety of species after harvest where appropriate - ELTs 11, 13, 6, 17 with deeper soils

6.1. Manage habitats over a range of sites and conditions.

Plant jack pine on a variety of sites (ELT 13) so it has many chances to succeed.

Red Pine Plantations