Climate and Sustainability

As part of its goal of landscape-scale conservation, the U.S. Forest Service has placed an emphasis on working across boundaries of all kinds—bureaucratic, ecological, geographical, and political.  The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is currently developing a Climate Change Response Framework incorporating information and expertise from a wide variety of scientists and land managers.  The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and its partners are identifying specific challenges posed by the changing climate, as well as potential responses. For further information visit the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science.

Over the last two decades, our research has specifically improved the understanding of climate change impacts on our Nation’s forests, rangelands, and urban areas. We have also examined how forests and forest management can reduce emissions or increase carbon sequestration to help mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Forest Service R&D has over 150 scientists studying many aspects of climate change across five research stations, two threat centers, the Forest Products Laboratory, and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry. 

To learn more about the Forest Service’s climate change research, click here:

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest has supported the original pilot Climate Change Response Framework project in northern Wisconsin since 2009. Learn more about what we're working on here:

What is the Climate Change Response Framework?

The Framework is an integrated set of tools, partnerships, and actions to support climate smart conservation and forest management. It is a collaborative approach among researchers, managers, and landowners to incorporate climate change considerations into forest management. The Framework covers three large regions across the eastern United States: the Northwoods, the Central Hardwoods, and the Central Appalachians. Find out more, click here.