Creating climate-ready woodlands

As Minnesota’s climate changes, forests will face pressures from tree diseases and pests, heavier and more frequent rainfalls, warmer temperatures and prolonged drought. You can foster a healthy, resilient woodland by adding species predicted to adapt well to these changes.

Helping forests adapt to a changing climate

Climate change will impact various tree and plant species differently. Many trees, plants and wildlife in southern Minnesota have native ranges much further south, and therefore may be naturally more resilient to a warmer ecosystem. However, the northern conifer forests are at the very southern edge of their native range, which extends far into Canada. As Minnesota gets warmer those forests will continue to creep north and out of Minnesota.

To ensure a healthy and productive forest, we’ll need to use strategies for climate adaptation. These will likely include a combination of management actions to help forests stay resilient to climate stress.

• Recommended trees for climate-ready woodlands  — Prioritize native trees and plants that are predicted to do well.
• Resisting climate change by creating forest refugia — Nurture tree species in targeted areas so they persist much as they are today.
• Assisted forest migration — Add seed sources or species new to the forest to enhance diversity.
• Identify invasive and non-native species — Learn to identify and remove invasive plants.
• Thinning and woodland stand improvement — Thin forests to reduce competition.