Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is an urban national park in the Twin Cities metro area, extending along 72 miles of the river and encompassing more than 54,000 acres of land. Starting in 2009, the forests of MNRRA have been impacted by the invasive insect emerald ash borer (EAB). Some areas of the park are up to forty percent ash cover and at risk of 99 percent mortality. In addition, increases in heavy rain events have led to prolonged and severe flooding in the area, impeding natural regeneration of alternative species. Managers of the park are interested in helping these forests adapt to these changes to maintain a healthy canopy, and have teamed up with scientists, the National Park Service, and other partners to use silviculture for climate change adaptation. This case study describes the beginning stages of a 25-year-long adaptive silviculture experiment in an urban forested park.

Visit the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change Network for more examples of climate-adaptive silviculture projects.

In a nutshell, this resource offers:

• A description of different strategies and tactics to adapt floodplain forests to climate change.
• A description of the cause-and-effect pattern between non-native invasive species and climate change, and how that influences forest successional dynamics.
• An example of partners operating at multiple scales coming together to conduct applied science to inform management.

How to use this resource:

• As an example to recognize the confluence of non-native invasive species and climate change, and the impacts it can have on forest health.
• As a project to track over time, with results that could inform management along urban rivers and floodplain forests in the Midwest. 
• As guidance for resist, resilience, and transition strategies for forest management in cities.

Author: Mary Hammes, Leslie Brandt, Linda Nagel, Courtney Peterson, Marcella Windmuller-Campione

Date published: 2020

Point of contact: Leslie Brandt, Climate Change Specialist at the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, leslie.brandt@usda.gov 

Citation: Hammes, M. C.; Brandt, L.; Nagel, L.; Peterson, C.; Windmuller-Campione, M.; and Montgomery, R. A. 2020. Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, an Urban National Park in the Twin Cities Area, Minnesota. Cities and the Environment (CATE): Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 11. 

Resource is available online here.