Andy Whitman: Maine Forest Service Climate Carbon Specialist
Q: What are climate-friendly forest practices?
A: They’re forestry practices that can increase the resilience of forests to climate change, store more carbon, and increase the rate of carbon sequestration. Often they are traditional forestry practices modified to achieve goals for forest carbon and forest resilience.
They include:
• Vegetative/silvicultural practices, such as thinning forest stands, retaining certain species, large trees, and deadwood, planting, or controlling invasive plants;
• Structural practices, such as designing access roads, trails, and stream crossings to better withstand new weather patterns like high rainfall events, or to protect trees and forest soils; or
• Planning practices, such as adjusting the timing of activities to avoid barriers due to unusual seasonal conditions, anticipating the arrival of destructive pests, or selecting equipment that is better suited for a particular activity.
Q: Why are climate-friendly forest practices important—and why are they included in Maine’s Climate Action Plan?
A: They’re important because they help ensure that forests will store and sequester carbon, be resilient for future changes, and continue to provide vital services and products for Mainers. Maine’s forests play a critical role as the state’s single largest carbon storage pool, with over 2 billion metric tons of carbon. They annually sequester enough carbon to make up over 90 percent of Maine greenhouse emissions. Forest products also help displace much more greenhouse gas-intense materials like concrete with renewable wood. When cared for, Maine’s forests are resilient to extreme weather. Forests are critical to Maine’s economy and way of life, including its forest products industry, wildlife, recreation, tourism, and a healthy human environment. They support a vast diversity of distinct ecosystems and habitats.
Q: What can individual landowners do to be climate-friendly in their backyard forest — whether they own 0.1 acre or 100 acres?
A: Individual or family woodland owners manage nearly a third of Maine’s forests. Many woodland owners already manage their woods using careful stewardship. Landowners can routinely monitor their trees and forests for pests and diseases, prune or remove unhealthy trees, and work with professional foresters and loggers to carry out forest management activities for the long term. Trees and forests take decades to centuries to grow—but careful planning using climate friendly practices will protect trees and forest resources and foster resilient trees and forests.
Q: As a climate and carbon specialist, how do you help encourage climate-friendly forest practices in Maine?
A: The most important thing is listening to woodland owners, foresters, and loggers and helping them navigate the many considerations for forest management that climate change brings. With carbon and other ecosystem services, my colleagues at MFS and I are distilling information to help woodland owners, managers, communities, and policymakers make decisions and manage forests. A key second step is to help woodland owners and resource managers connect with one of our 12 Maine Forest Service District Foresters. District foresters can meet with a landowner to observe the condition of their forest, answer questions, and offer guidance on possible practices and activities. They can also help landowners find key resources, including useful information and planning and incentive programs.
Q: Is there anything important you’d like to add that we haven’t touched on?
A: We hope that woodland owners and natural resource managers will make well-informed decisions and understand the long-term consequences of their actions. Climate change can already affect a broad range of forestry decisions. This includes decisions about forest practices and harvesting, family estate planning, program participation by landowners, community planning decisions, workforce training, forest products innovation and investments. Climate change will be with us for the foreseeable future. While there’s still a lot of uncertainty, Mainers and their forests will have to and can adapt if they use the best available information.