The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science and USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub are offering the Adaptation Planning and Practices training as an online course for forest and natural resource managers.

This unique opportunity provides hands-on training in considering climate change information and identifying adaptation actions for natural resources management professionals working in forests and natural ecosystems. Participants will receive coaching and feedback while using the Adaptation Workbook to develop their own real-world climate adaptation project. The course consists of seven web sessions with work time occurring between sessions.

Information will focus on forest ecosystems, urban forests, and forested watersheds in the Midwest and Northeast, but applicants from other regions may be accepted if space allows.

Through this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify locally-important climate change impacts, challenges, and opportunities
• Develop specific actions to adapt forests to changing conditions
• Use the Adaptation Workbook to create their own “climate-informed” projects
• Better communicate with stakeholders about key climate change impacts, challenges, and opportunities
• Access post-training support from NIACS staff during project planning and implementation

Download the Save the Date flyer

Course Registration

We ask participants to bring real-world projects of your very own to use as examples as a way to get the most from this course. Ideally, this is a relevant project from your work, such as a management plan or another effort that you're currently working on. During the course, we'll help you consider how climate change could affect your project area and your management, and what adaptation options you have available. At the end of the course,  you’ll have a custom-built adaptation plan that’s ready to implement!

Please use this worksheet to give us an initial description of your project idea during registration. You'll be able to make changes and add more details about your project at the beginning of the course.

There is no registration fee thanks to support from the US Forest Service and the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub.

Are you interested in this course, but can't make the spring dates work? We are considering offering a summer course. Due to changing expectations for summer field work we want to ensure learning opportunities exist for all that are looking for them. Use this form to express your interest in a summer offering. *Let us know if your organization is in a unique situation, we are happy to explore custom virtual training options.*

Course Agenda

This course has been approved for 21 continuing forestry education credits (category 1) by the Society of American Foresters and 14 continuing education units (certified arborist, municipal specialist, management) from the International Society of Arboriculture.

Session 1 (week of April 20) — Course Introduction; Defining Project Goals and Objectives. Discussion session 1 – Introduce projects and participants in small groups

Session 2 (week of April 27) — Understanding and Evaluating Climate Change Vulnerabilities 

Session 3 (week of May 4) — Evaluating Management Challenges and Opportunities. Check-in with instructors: Each project schedules 30 min meeting with course instructors

Session 4 (week of May 11) — Identifying Adaptation Strategies, Approaches, and Tactics. Discussion session 2 – Share project work (recapping Step 2 and Step 3)

BREAK No session (week of May 18)

Session 5 (week of May 25) — Monitoring and Evaluating Effectiveness. Check-in with instructors – Each project schedules 30 min meeting with course instructors

Session 6 (week of June 1) — Climate Change Communication. Discussion session 3 – Share project work (recapping Step 4 and Step 5)

Session 7 (week of June 8) — Sharing Adaptation Projects. Discussion session 4 – Share results of course project

Continuing education credits have been requested for this course from the International Society of Arboriculture and the Society of American Foresters.

Download the Step 1 worksheet