Training Details
Welcome to the 2025 Adaptation Planning and Practices online training! We look forward to helping you integrate climate change information into your real-world management project. This training will start the week of January 27, and finish by March 17, 2025.
Through this training, you will:
- Identify locally-important climate change impacts
- Document the feasibility of project goals climate-related challenges, and opportunities
- Develop tangible tactics to support ecosystem adaptation to changing conditions
- Use the Adaptation Workbook to create a custom “climate-informed” project plan
- Learn how to communicate and discuss climate change impacts, challenges, and opportunities with your audiences
- Access post-training support from staff during project planning and implementation
Download the Training Syllabus
This training has been approved for 20 continuing forestry education credits (category 1) by the Society of American Foresters and 13.5 continuing education units from the International Society of Arboriculture.
Please contact Danielle and Maddy with any questions.
Logistics
The training runs over eight weeks (including one break week) and includes:
- Recorded lectures describing each step in the Adaptation Workbook (~20-25 min) are designed to be viewed in advance of your weekly discussion session.
- Weekly discussion sessions (1 hour) to promote discussion of participant projects and related questions. Sessions occur on Zoom, are not recorded and are required attendance. We have emailed you the weekly meeting day and time.
- Weekly assignments are completed in the AdaptationWorkbook.org platform to help you create an adaptation plan at the end of the training.
Weekly assignments:
Each week, the recorded lecture and new assignments will appear on this page. All assignments are noted in the training syllabus. Please scroll to find the current week and complete the assignments noted!
Pre-work - Training preparation
Purpose: Pre-work assignments provide training instructors with project details and set you up for success! Please complete it before the first discussion session!
Assignments:
- Read the training syllabus: Training Syllabus
- View the recorded lecture for Step 1
- Create an account on www.adaptationworkbook.org. See the ‘Getting Started with the Adaptation Workbook’ section on page 9 of the training syllabus for instructions on creating an account and adding a project.
- Use the worksheet you’ve registered with to complete Step 1 of the Adaptation Workbook and the associated homework section #1. Find your Step 1 worksheet in this folder.
- Complete Homework #1. After you add your project on the Adaptation Workbook, you should see 'Homework 1' under 'Step 1.' Describe your project area, general goals/objectives, and 1-2 sentences on what makes this project area special (15 min to complete).
Optional:
- Browse the adaptation demonstration project library to learn how others have integrated climate considerations into land planning.
- Review the Adaptation Workbook chapter of the Forest Adaptation Resources, 2nd edition for Step 1 and Step 2 instructions.
- Read our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Resources for Climate Change Adaptation page
- Begin next week’s readings on climate change impacts.
Week of 1/27/25
Discussion session:
- Attend your scheduled discussion session to review Step 1: defining goals and objectives.
- Participants are encouraged to introduce themselves and their projects and discuss their goals and objectives.
Assignments (to be completed after discussion session):
- View the recorded lecture for Step 2: climate change impacts and vulnerabilities.
- See the additional resources & optional reading section of this document for a collection of regionally-focused resources to support this step.
- Complete Step 2 of the Adaptation Workbook: Assess climate impacts and vulnerabilities.
- Complete Homework 2 at the end of Step 2. Set aside 2-4 hours for completion since this is a more involved step
View a recording of the optional guest lecture:
- “The basics of forest carbon cycling” with Dr. Adrienne Keller. Michigan Technological University, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Recorded 1-31-25 for training participants.
Week of 2/3/25
Discussion session:
Attend your scheduled discussion session to review Step 2: climate change impacts and vulnerabilities.
Participants will share regional and local-scale climate vulnerabilities that may affect their project goals and objectives.
Assignments (to be completed after discussion session):
- Attend your scheduled discussion session to review Step 2.
- View the recorded lecture for Step 3: management challenges and opportunities.
- Complete Step 3 of the Adaptation Workbook: Evaluate objectives considering climate impacts.
- Complete Homework 3 at the end of Step 3.
View a recording of the optional guest lecture:
- (Recorded in 2024) “Assessing tree species future habitat using the USDA Climate Change Tree Atlas” with Dr. Steve Matthews, Ohio State University, USDA Forest Service.
- Access the USDA Climate Change Tree Atlas
Week of 2/10/25
Discussion session:
Attend your scheduled discussion session to review Step 3: management challenges and opportunities.
Having evaluated their management objectives in light of the climate vulnerabilities they identified, participants will discuss their shared or unique considerations.
Assignments (to be completed after discussion session):
- View the recorded lecture for Step 4: adaptation strategies, approaches, and tactics.
- View a presentation describing Adaptation Concepts, available here (27 minutes long).
- Review the list of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for your focus area (forests, urban, or forest watersheds). Details on menus for other focus areas (several are in development) are available here.
- Complete Step 4 of the Adaptation Workbook: Identify adaptation approaches and tactics.
- Complete Homework 4 at the end of Step 4 (Set aside 2-4 hours for completion since this is a more involved step).
Optional:
View a recording of the optional guest lecture: “Considering Carbon Alongside Other Management Goals” with Dr. Luke Nave. Michigan Technological University. Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Recorded 2-11-25 for training participants.
- Optional videos: Adaptation Strategies for Forested Watersheds, an overview of various menus
Week of 2/17/25 (Break)
NO discussion section!
Assignments:
- Use extra time to complete homework and schedule office hours with instructors if needed.
- Familiarize yourself with adaptation menus at https://adaptationworkbook.org/strategies
Optional:
- Set up project check-in with instructors if you haven’t done so already!
Week of 2/24/25
Discussion session:
Attend your scheduled discussion session to review Step 4: adaptation strategies, approaches, and tactics.
Participants will discuss approaches of resistance, resilience, and transition, and share any specific adaptation tactics they identified.
Assignments (to be completed after discussion session):
- View the recorded lecture for Step 5: monitor and evaluate effectiveness.
- Complete Step 5 of the Adaptation Workbook: Monitor the effectiveness of implemented actions.
- Complete Homework 5 at the end of Step 5.
Optional:
- Set up project check-in with instructors if you haven’t done so already!
Week of 3/3/25
Discussion session:
Attend your scheduled discussion session to review Step 5: monitor and evaluate effectiveness.
Participants will consider methods and tools for measuring the effectiveness of implemented adaptation actions, and share if they plan to do any monitoring.
Assignments (to be completed after discussion session):
- View the recorded lecture on climate communication.
- Finish up any loose ends in the Adaptation Workbook.
- Complete Homework 6 within the Adaptation Workbook.
Week of 3/10/25
Discussion session:
Attend your scheduled discussion session to review climate communication principles.
Participants will consider how to effectively communicate climate change and adaptation with core audiences.
Assignments (to be completed after discussion session):
The weekly assignment is focused on wrapping up the adaptation workbook and preparing to briefly share your adaptation project (using a provided PowerPoint template).
- Finish up any loose ends in the Adaptation Workbook.
- Sign up to present next week! Use this form to sign up for a presentation slot.
- Summarize your project to share with the other participants as well as your colleagues and partners in a PowerPoint presentation (templates will be provided). Use the template in this folder, then once complete upload your presentation to this folder.
- Present a brief, 5 minute overview of your adaptation plan.
Week of 3/17/25
Discussion session: This final session features project presentations from the training participants!
Assignments:
- Complete the Evaluation Form so we can improve the training next year.
- Sign up for Continuing Education Credits if you need them.