Sustainability of Maine’s Working Forest

SESSION J: Sustainability of Maine’s Working Forest in the Face of a Changing Climate: Varying Perspectives and Solutions

Session Chair: Aaron Weiskittel, University of Maine

Session Description: Maine is the most forested state in the US (90%) with the largest contiguous block of privately-owned commercial forestland in the nation (10 million acre) and an economy heavily dependent on sustainable management of this resource (~5% of state GDP). However, Maine is in an important climatic transitional zone, which may make the forest more vulnerable to changes in the future climate. In particular, there could be decreased viability of commercially important species, increased disturbance (e.g. pests, disease, drought), and reduced productivity. These factors must be considered in current and future forest planning decisions. This session will involve talks from various perspectives on climate change and the sustainable management of Maine’s forest. Each talk will review the key issues and provide a framework for moving forward in the face of high uncertainty

Presentations Available

Session Overview

1:30-1:55 pm
Future distribution and productivity of spruce-fir forests under climate change in Maine: Implications for current forest management practices
Erin Simons-Legaard, Kasey Legaard, Aaron Weiskittel, Caitlin Andrews, and Tony D’Amato; University of Maine, School of Forest Resources; University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources

The vast spruce-fir forest of the Northeast is of commercial and ecological importance. Climate change is expected to have a drastic influence on forest growth and productivity and disturbance dynamics. Spruce-fir forests are expected to be especially susceptible because this forest type is already at the extreme elevational and latitudinal limits of its range within the northern United States. However, most of the projections of future distribution and productivity are done using broad-scale climate-envelope models, which have multiple limitations. This project will apply the landscape disturbance and succession model, LANDIS-II, within a meta-modeling framework to evaluate the potential of climate change in this region. The meta-model will be used to produce long-term projections of spruce-fir distribution and productivity under varying climate and disturbance regimes. These simulations would allow for sensitivity evaluation of spruce-fir forest to climate and disturbance as well as identification of areas of potential refugia for this important forest type. This work would be of utmost importance as it would provide an understanding of future habitat and wood supply availability across the region.

2:00-2:25 pm
Improving Forest Management for Climate Change: The Climate Smart Land Network
Si Balch, Manomet Center for Conservation Science

Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences recently completed a series of forest site visits in the U.S. and Canada to discuss climate change impacts and management response with land owners and managers. Members of the Climate Smart Land Network (CSLN) report changes in temperature, precipitation and related changes in pest and disease impacts. These changes are impacting forest health, infrastructure and operations. This presentation will include an introduction to the CSLN, an overview of the site visit process, a synopsis of findings and a discussion of management response.

3:00-3:25 am
Planning for the future forest: Development and application of long-term forest plan in Northern Maine
Bill Patterson, Northern Maine Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy

In 1998, The Nature Conservancy in Maine bought 185,000 acres of forest bordering 40 miles of the St. John River. Since the purchase, the organization has embarked on a large-scale experiment to achieve multiple management objectives. This has required extensive planning, outcome assessment, and adaptive management. This type of forest planning and management is increasingly important due to a variety of factors (e.g. markets, climate change, disturbances). This talk will provide an overview of the opportunities and challenges for sustainable forestry and conservation in Maine’s North Woods for large landowners.

3:30-3:55 pm
Master Logger – Enhancing the Health of the Working Forest through Exceptional Accountability
Elizabeth Ollivier, Executive Director, The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands

The wood basket of the Northeast is a rich and highly varied landscape of native plants, animals, fungi, insects, microorganisms, and complex biological processes. When allowed to flourish under the stewardship and innovations of our forestry and logging professionals, these lands can produce higher quality wood over the long term. The value of our working forests is strongly driven by the day to day harvest decisions of logging professionals and landowners.

The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNF) is a 501(c)3 organization formed in 2003 to administer the Northeast Master Logger Certification (NEMLC) program. The NEMLC program was the recipient of the world’s first SmartLogging certificate – an international harvest standard recognition by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood Program. TCNF and NEMLC represent loggers, landowners and suppliers throughout New England and New York.

The NEMLC Program offers third-party independent certification of logging companies’ harvesting practices. The certification system is built around a standard and nine goals that guide Master Loggers in their work: Document Harvest Planning, Protect Water Quality, Maintain Soil Productivity, Sustain Forest Ecosystems, Manage Forest Aesthetics, Ensure Workplace Safety, Demonstrate Continuous Improvement, Ensure Business Viability, and Uphold Certificate Integrity. There are detailed harvest responsibilities with explicit performance standards under each Goal. Field verifiers visit harvest sites to determine whether candidates are meeting and exceeding the standards required for certification. NEMLC is audited annually to maintain this certification. The content of the NEMLC Program is based on a common vision for the rural communities and forest resources of the Northeast.