Ecological Forestry in the Context of Climate Change Webinar Series
This 12-part monthly webinar series tells a story about how small- and large-scale forest disturbances, such as fire, wind, ice storms, hurricanes, sea-level rise, flooding, introduced and endemic forest pests, and others, impact forest ecosystems. The series will also examine ecological silviculture and climate adaptation approaches to help inform forest and wildlife management.
Series topics will be applicable to biologists, foresters, land managers and planners, and other natural resource practitioners working in Federal, State, Tribal, and local government agencies, and non-government and private organizations, with an interest in the intersection of climate change adaptation, forest ecology, and wildlife habitat management.
Webinars will take place on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 1:00-2:00 pm ET. Each month's presentation topic is intended to build upon the prior webinar in order to tell a cohesive story about forest disturbance and climate change impacts on forest ecosystems and provide silvicultural and adaptation options for natural resource management.
Webinars are presented in a Zoom format. You must register in advance. Registration is required for all webinars in the series.
Register for the webinar series here
All webinar recordings will be posted to this page.
Credits:
This webinar series is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) - Forest Ecology Working Group (FEWG), Science Applications and Migratory Birds Programs, and the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) together with the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS), a collaborative, multi-institutional partnership led by the Forest Service.
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Ecological Silviculture in the Context of Climate Change
Presented on September 19, 2023.
Anthony D'Amato with the University of Vermont gives an overview on ecological silviculture and associated principles and discussed natural disturbance archetypes that guide ecological silviculture systems and the linkages between ecological silviculture outcomes and forest adaptation.
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National Trends in Forest Disturbance
Presented on October 31, 2023.
Jennifer Costanza with the USDA Forest Service presents on the impacts of disturbance regimes on forests and recent and projected future trends in disturbances, forest composition, structure, and health. Jennifer has been involved in the Forest Service 2020 Resources Planning Act Assessment and discusses this effort.
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Synergistic Effects of Multiple Stressors on Forest Resistance, Resilience, and Response
Presented on November 21, 2023.
Cristina Eisenberg with Oregon State University discusses the impacts and effects on multiple stressors on forest systems and adaptive strategies for managing forests with multiple stressors with an emphasis on incorporating Indigenous Knowledge and shares examples of collaborative work with Tribes.
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Forest Disturbance and its Relationship to Wildlife Habitat
Presented on December 19, 2023.
Brenda McComb (emeritus) and Andrew Merschel with Oregon State University discuss the fundamental relationship of wildlife to forest structure and composition, forest disturbance as the creator of habitat elements, ecological forestry as necessary but not sufficient to provide habitat, and the climate drivers of habitat function: phenology and microclimatic refugia.
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Ecological Silviculture for Restoration and Adaptation in Conifer Ecosystems of the Interior West
Presented on January 16, 2024.
Andrew Larson with the University of Montana discussed ecological silviculture for frequent-fire ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer ecosystems, their disturbance regimes, and forest dynamics. This presentation touched on uncharacteristic and post-fire forest landscape management and how to respond to change in rapidly evolving ecosystems with ecologically based treatments.
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Managing Longleaf Pine Ecosystems in a Changing Climate: An Ecological Silviculture Approach
Presented on February 20, 2024.
Steve Jack with the T.L.L. Temple Foundation presented on adapting longleaf pine systems to change, restoring forest composition and structure, maintaining fire regimes in a “fire forest”, and synergies between hurricanes and fire regimes.
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Ecological Silviculture for Southern Appalachian Hardwood Forests
This webinar has been rescheduled for April 30, 2024 at 1:00pm ET.
Tara Keyser with the USDA Forest Service will discuss how the Appalachian hardwood forests are changing. This presentation will tell the story of wind, ice, and fire in the Appalachian hardwood forests, the interactions between disturbances and invasive plants and animals, and how to manage for change in these forest system.
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Using Ecological Silviculture for Creating Wildlife Habitat in Degraded Northern Hardwood and Mixed Acadian Ecosystems
This webinar has been canceled. Check back for rescheduling.
Tom LaPointe with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will focus on building resilience in degraded forest ecosystems of New England, including creating wildlife habitat on Refuges in northern hardwood and Acadian mixed-wood forests and the ecological silviculture interactions with changing climate and invasive species.
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Ecological Silviculture for Central Hardwoods
This webinar will be presented on May 21, 2024 at 1:00pm ET.
Miranda Curzon with Iowa State University will discuss drivers of change, including wind, floods, fire, pests, and invasive species, on Central Hardwood and Oak forest types. The Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) Network will be reintroduced with site-specific examples.
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Ecological Silviculture for Southern Bottomland Hardwood Ecosystems
This webinar will be presented on June 18, 2024 at 1:00 ET.
Haven Barnhill with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will present on the loss of ash species in bottomland hardwood forests and the increasing frequency and intensity of winds, floods, and the interactions between the two. Additionally, the presentation will touch on how to manage for resiliency given more intense hurricane and flood events.
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Ecological Silviculture for Douglas-fir-Western-hemlock Forests
This webinar will be presented on July 23, 2024 at 1:00 ET.
Klaus Puettman with Oregon State University will discuss the role of wind and fire in western forests as guides to ecological silviculture. This presentation will talk about projected changes in climate and disturbance frequency and intensity, managing of complex systems, and old-growth management.
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The Place of Ecological Silviculture, Now and in the Future
This webinar will be presented on August 20, 2024 at 1:00 ET.
Brian Palik with the USDA Forest Service will present on the place of ecological silviculture on the landscape and how to prevent the forest management divergence. This presentation will also ask the question, when is the past the future and when is it not?