Maria Janowiak (of Forest Service and NIACS), presented at the Adapting Forested Watersheds to Climate Change Workshop, at Antioch University New England, Keene, NH on April 4-5, 2017. The workshop was hosted by the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS), USDA Climate Hubs, and Trout Unlimited. Details at www.forestadaptation.org/water.

1. Adaptation in Action:
Projects for Forests & Water
Maria Janowiak
April 4, 2017
Water Initiative
Northeast Workshop

2. Develop local examples
of adaptation
www.forestadaptation.org/demos
200+
Projects
underway

3. Atlas Timberlands (VT)
www.forestadaptation.org/atlas
Sustainable forestry
Conservation

4. Vermont Land Trust &
The Nature Conservancy
 About 25k acres of forest
 Acquired from industrial
ownership
 Working forest to
demonstrate sustainable
forestry practices
www.forestadaptation.org/carolinelake
Atlas Timberlands

5. Atlas Timberlands
Altered precipitation
Extreme rain
Shorter, milder winters
Decline of northern tree species

6. Challenge: Shorter and more variable winters
Summer harvest = Opportunity?
Atlas Timberlands

7. 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

8. • Road layout
• Pre-sale road work
• Temporary bridge installation
Adaptation Tactic: Summer harvest
Atlas Timberlands

9. 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

10. • 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

11. Overarching goal is to maintain a forest that is adaptive to change
and resilient to disturbances that could impact water quality
Providence Water

12. Providence Water
Regeneration
Forest health
Invasive plants
Extreme storms

13. • 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

14. 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 Water
2015 Planting – Two sites
(inside/outside deer exclosure)

15. • 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 Water
2016 Enrichment
Planting at Similar Site

16. 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

17. • 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 Water
Monitoring effectiveness

18. Providence Water
COMING SOON! www.climatehubs.oce.usda.gov/northeast/360
Secret preview link – click here
Virtual demonstration site from USDA Northeast Climate Hub

19. Questions?