Looking for others in my region (Michigan) working on adaptation plans
Hello! My name is Andrea Chynowth and I'm with the Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette, MI. We're working on a climate adaptation plan for much of the Upper Peninsula (a new thing for all of us!) and trying to figure out what specific actions would be best to implement to truly help our region get ready for climate change. The areas we're concerned about are watershed and forest protection, habitat restoration work, invasive species, educating the public and helping targeted communities prepare their built environment, health and social services, and economic structure for a changing climate.
I'd like to find others in the upper Midwest who are doing something similar - maybe we can help each other work out some of these details. There are so many actions and approaches one could take, but I'm not sure what would be the most useful and effecient. Many adaptation plans, especially those dealing with natural resources, are vague about what to do beyond "implement best management practices to promote watershed resilience" Yes, but what are those specific actions?
If anyone would like to link up for some brainstorming and discussion, please contact me at andrea.chynoweth@gmail.com.
Response to "Looking for others in my region"
Andrea,
In reading your post I assume I share your frustration in finding practical application of Climate Change mitigations. While this information and project is out of your locality, there are folks working on similar paths in your area, see website below.
I work for the Forest Service and have been working in and around a process to convert woody biomass into a soil amendment for a few years now. Biochar; seems to be a mitigation technique that allows for a direct mitigation for Climate Change, rather than adaptation or abstinence of an activity. When the biochar is used as a soil amendment it has also allowed for increase in soil moisture retention, which could also be used as adaptation. Then there is the fact that biochar is nearly all carbon, when processed under the right conditions, it becomes very stable and can hold that carbon in an environment safe from consuming wildfire.
Since we are not repurposing saw logs, all of the material we have used for conversion to biochar has been forest fuel disposal products (biomass); in many of the cases this material was saved from being completely disposed by fire. So rather than losing nearly 100% of the biomass tonage; we retained 15-25% in the form of carbon rich soil amendment, for carbon sequestration, moisture improvement and nutrient improvements to the soil. All of which will help buffer Climate Change influences to the biomass grown on the biochar amended lands.
Here is a website of a local group in your area. Good luck
http://www.biochar-international.org/regional/michigan
Jim Archuleta
Forest Soil Scientist Umatilla NF
R6 Coperate Recruiter
2517 SW Hailey Ave
Pendleton, OR 97801
jgarchuleta@fs.fed.us
541-278-3817 work
541-520-3998 cell