Date
- ET
Location
North Point State Park in Edgemere, Maryland
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Description

Climate-informed Land Management Planning workshop.

The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) has partnered with the Maryland DNR to host a two-day workshop to consider the impacts of climate change on forested reservoir watersheds. This event will provide opportunities to learn about climate change and its effect on forested reservoir watersheds in the Mid-Atlantic.

Background: A USDA Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry Landscape Scale Restoration project, “Adapting Mid-Atlantic Reservoir Forests to Climate Change” seeks to bring together watershed and forest managers in the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont and Coastal Plain to address climate considerations, growing wildland-urban interface issues, and fragmentation. The first phase of the project was launched with a January 2020 workshop to explore climate change vulnerabilities and develop regional strategies approaches for adaptive silvicultural techniques. This workshop brought together 70 natural resource professionals from the Maryland Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, and municipal reservoir forest managers from the cities of Frederick and Baltimore. The second phase of the project will implement climate-adapted silviculture in 15-year forest management plans for 2 municipal source water protection forests: Baltimore City Reservoirs and the Frederick City Watershed. The desired outcome of the project is to increase climate-adapted forest management across 300,000 acres in the Mid-Atlantic region to promote forests that continue to protect water quality and regenerate themselves in a changing climate. For more information, please contact Anne Hairston-Strang, Associate Director of the Maryland Forest Service.

Day 1 - January 30. Preparing for Climate Change in Forested Watershed Management

As our climate shifts, stewards of Mid-Atlantic reservoir forests are beginning to focus their experience and creativity on ways to successfully respond to those changes. Slides from the presentations given on Day 1 are available for download:

Day 2 - January 31. Forest Adaptation Planning and Practices Workshop

Natural resource managers will incorporate climate change considerations and identify actions for adaptation into their own real-world forest management projects. This active, hands-on training s being held for a limited number of participants who will bring their own real-world project and use the Adaptation Workbook (pgs. 74-89) and menus of strategies and approaches to create a custom adaptation plan. 

Note: This workshop was approved for Continuing Forestry Education credits for both days. Day 1 is approved for 7 Category 1 CFE units. Day 2 is approved for 4 Category 1 CFE units. The attendance form has been submitted to SAF, and you should your units appear on your record in up to 4 weeks. 

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Co-hosts and collaborators

This workshop will be valuable to those managing forested areas. This workshop is being organized by the USDA Climate Hubs, Forest Service, Maryland Forest Service, and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. For more information about the Adaptation Workbook or menus of Adaptation Strategies, please contact Patricia Leopold and Danielle Shannon. For more information about the LSR project, please contact Anne Hairston-Strang, Associate Director of the Maryland Forest Service.