State and Tribal Forest Carbon Capacity Building Webinar and Workshop Series

Together with the Forest Economics and Resource Management (FERM) lab in the MSU Department of Forestry, the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, and USDA Forest Service State, Private and Tribal Forestry, FCCP developed a series of education and outreach materials to support state and tribal forestry agencies in various stages of working on forest carbon management and stewardship efforts through a variety in-person, interactive, and print materials.

The project developed a four-part webinar series focusing on numerous aspects of forest and carbon in the Eastern US, helping participants develop the tools needed to assess potential trade-offs and opportunities in forest management and planning to further incorporate carbon considerations. Participants also had the opportunity to attend two in-person workshops in St. Paul, Minnesota and State College, Pennsylvania, to delve deeper into technical topics of forest carbon, including forest carbon inventorying, overviews of forest carbon models, stakeholder perceptions, and communications tactics for both internal and external audiences. These peer-to-peer learning environments helped foster a shared sense of understanding to help overcome regional and local challenges to manage public lands for climate change considerations.

Lastly, the project developed a series of handouts and technical briefings to further inform efforts to incorporate climate considerations into forest policy and management. The 20 technical briefings covering the 20 states that comprise the eastern region of the USDA Forest Service summarize topics such as forest densities and cover types, carbon storage and dynamics, and climate considerations for management across the eastern US, utilizing the powerful Forest Inventory and Analysis Database and the Climate Change Tree Atlas.

Project Deliverables:

Webinar Series

Webinar 1: Forests and Carbon in the eastern US: An introduction to forest carbon trends and policies. Presenter: Dr. Chad Papa, Michigan State University
Webinar 2: Climate change impacts on the eastern forests: Implications for forest carbon dynamics. Presenter: Dr. Chad Papa, Michigan State University
Webinar 3: Threats and vulnerabilities to forests in the eastern US under climate change. Presenters: Dr. Chad Papa, Michigan State University; Dr. Steve Matthews, Ohio State University
Webinar 4: Adaptive Management: Concerns and tactics regarding forest adaptation. Presenter: Patricia Leopold, State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, Forest Service, Eastern Region and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

Workshops

Workshop 1: Fundamental and key concepts of forest carbon science, policy, and management
Dates: June 11-12, 2024
Location: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Central Office, 500 Lafayette Road, St Paul, MN.

Presenters:

Dr. Grant Domke, USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, Carbon Science Team
Dr. Stephen Handler, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Northern Forest Climate Hub, and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
Dr. Chad Papa, Michigan State University
Henry McCann, Minnesota DNR
Dr. Raju Pokharel, Michigan State University

Workshop 2: Advanced and technical themes related to forest carbon science, policy, and management
Dates: July 23-24, 2024
Location: Forest Resources Building, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA.

Presenters:

Dr. Colin Beier, SUNY ESF
Dr. Melissa Kreye, Pennsylvania State University
Patricia Leopold, State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, Forest Service, Eastern Region and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
Dr. Allyson Muth, Pennsylvania State University
Daphna Gadoth-Goodman, Michigan State University
Lauren Siclare, New Jersey Forest Service
Dr. Chad Papa, Michigan State University
Dr. Raju Pokharel, Michigan State University

State Technical Briefings

Technical briefings summarizing topics such as forest densities and cover types, carbon storage, and climate considerations for the states of: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia

This Project was made possible by funding from Penn Soil Resource Conservation and Development Council under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.