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Adaptation in Action:Projects for Forests & Water
Maria JanowiakApril 4, 2017
Water InitiativeNortheast Workshop
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Develop local examplesof adaptation
www.forestadaptation.org/demos
200+Projects
underway
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Atlas Timberlands (VT)
www.forestadaptation.org/atlas
Sustainable forestry
Conservation
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Vermont Land Trust & The Nature Conservancy About 25k acres of forestAcquired from industrial
ownership Working forest to
demonstrate sustainable forestry practices
www.forestadaptation.org/carolinelake
Atlas Timberlands
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Atlas Timberlands
Altered precipitation
Extreme rain
Shorter, milder winters
Decline of northern tree species
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Challenge: Shorter and more variable winters
Summer harvest = Opportunity?
Atlas Timberlands
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Already doing and even more important for adaptation:• Follow BMPs for water quality• Increase coarse woody material• Increase tree species diversity• Increase forest structural
diversity• Ensure adequate seedling
regeneration• Control invasives• Minimize roads & trails
Atlas Timberlands
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• Road layout• Pre-sale road work• Temporary bridge installation
Adaptation Tactic: Summer harvest
Atlas Timberlands
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Did it work?Atlas Timberlands
“The area operated was considerably different in the winter vs summer, but … it’s safe to say our infrastructure costs per unit sold were considerably higher in the summer than winter. There was also far more down time because we had a great winter for operating and problematic rains in the summer.”
Time and effort
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• Public utility developed and operated by City of Providence
• Current system established c. 1920• Now provides water to 600,000
people or 2/3 of all Rhode Islanders
• Main Scituate Reservoir and several smaller tributary reservoirs
• 93 square mile watershed, mostly private land
• Water Resources Division manages 13,000 acres of City-owned forest surrounding reservoir system
Providence Water (RI)
Graphics/text courtesy Christopher Riely, Providence Water
www.forestadaptation.org/providencewater
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Overarching goal is to maintain a forest that is adaptive to change and resilient to disturbances that could impact water quality
Providence Water
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Providence Water
Regeneration
Forest health
Invasive plants
Extreme storms
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• Poor upland oak growing site with some young pine
• Land acquired recently; not historic ownership
• Death of remaining trees and regeneration failure following shelterwood timber harvest
• Drought, defoliation, deer• “Nightmare” of what a significant
acreage could come to resemble following a severe windstorm
• What to do with this site?
Many challenges from climate change & other stressors
Opportunity to experiment with “transition” strategy
Providence Water
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Conifers (250 each)• Eastern red cedar (native)• Loblolly pine (new)• Pitch pine (native)• Shortleaf pine (new)
Hardwoods (100 each)• Black locust (non-native)• Black oak (native)• Persimmon (new)• Pin oak (native)• Sassafras (native)• Sweetgum (new)• White oak (native)
Providence Water2015 Planting – Two sites (inside/outside deer exclosure)
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• 38 acre upland oak stand thinned in 2014-15
• Anticipated natural regeneration challenges
• Students planted “climate adaptation mix” in 2016
• Part of larger grant funded by Arbor Day Foundation TD Green Streets Program
• Possible future seeding
Providence Water2016 Enrichment Planting at Similar Site
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Conifers (75 each)• Shortleaf pine (new)• Virginia pine (new)
Hardwoods (25 each)• Black locust (non-native)• Black oak (native)• Chestnut oak (native)• Persimmon (new)• Sweetgum (new)• White oak (native)
Providence Water
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• Irregular species distribution by planting crew
• Significant mortality resulting from drought immediately following planting
• Survivors are doing OK• Monitoring height growth of 10
individuals of each species in both areas
• Annual height measurements planned for at least 5 years
• Results indicate deer browse is having a significant impact
Providence WaterMonitoring effectiveness
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Providence Water
COMING SOON! www.climatehubs.oce.usda.gov/northeast/360Secret preview link – click here
Virtual demonstration site from USDA Northeast Climate Hub
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Questions?