The Forests and Wildlife Stewards recently submitted comments to Minnesota’s Climate Action Framework, recommending the best way to manage Minnesota’s public working forests. If our approach is selected, we can expect to achieve maximum carbon sequestration and storage over the next 100 years.
The Stewards researched various methods of managing forests so as to sequester carbon. Answers for best forest practices came from a study commissioned by the Minnesota Forest Resources Council.
The study showed that the best method to protect forests from climate change, while still providing wood to industry, is called climate-adapted silviculture. This method lengthens the intervals between tree harvesting, and plants species that are sustainable in a warming climate.
Key reasons for the climate-adapted recommendation are:
- Climate-adapted silviculture stores the same amount of carbon as a no-management model, and exceeds other management options.
- A climate-adapted resilience model is the best hope for maintaining healthy, thriving, and bio-diverse ecosystems in our state forests far into the future.
The Forests and Wildlife Stewards recommendation is an important initiative which should be incorporated into the Minnesota Climate Action Framework plan. We must address climate change for Minnesota’s future. This plan will lead to better forest health and productivity over the next century, even as our climate changes.
Follow this link for the complete feedback letter that the Forests and Wildlife Stewards wrote to the Climate Action Framework.