Volume 16- December 2024
Climate Change and Forest Management in the Winter
Climate change is reshaping Minnesota’s winters in ways that directly impact winter forest management and operations. Frozen ground typically allows access to areas that would be too wet or fragile at other times. Yet, warmer winters may shorten this frozen season and reducing the window for safe and efficient forest management, including stand improvement projects, forest health improvement activities, and timber harvesting. This creates new challenges for forest managers who must adapt quickly to protect the soil, manage forests to be resilient, sustain timber harvesting, and work within nature’s changing timeline.
In this issue of the Reader, we are highlighting some of the latest research and efforts that explore climate change and winter timber harvest operations. In addition, the Minnesota Forest Resources Council issued a report on Climate Change and Minnesota’s Forests, and the Northern Research Station is hosting a webinar series on winter harvest operations starting in January. The challenge of winter timber harvests are not restricted to Minnesota – a new StoryMap offers lessons learned from Maine.
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The Minnesota Research Reader is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service that provides a quick look at emerging research relevant to our work in the state of Minnesota.
We hope you enjoy the selection of articles in this month's edition of the Reader!
In this recent publication, University of Minnesota and USDA Forest Service researchers investigated the impacts of reduced precipitation on soil properties in aspen forests. Researchers simulated climate-induced throughfall reduction (summer) and snow removal (winter) treatments across four drainage classes to evaluate soil strength, water content, frost depth, and temperature. Findings suggest that drainage class is a reliable predictor for frost depth, soil moisture, and temperature, suggesting it could guide management decisions regarding winter soil operability.
Management Implications:
- Snow removal significantly increased frost depth, with greater frost depth in drier drainage classes.
- Soil temperature was consistently lower in snow removal plots, particularly at shallower depths.
- Warming winter temperatures and an increase in winter rain may negate the effects of reduced snow cover on frost depth.
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Frozen ground in winter months is very important to the logging industry. Approximately half of the timber harvested in Minnesota occurs during winter months when the ground is frozen enough to support logging machinery without causing soil erosion and rutting. Minnesota’s winters are warming, which is leading to shorter, less consistent frozen ground in some places across the state. Researchers with the University of Minnesota and the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station asked experienced logging company owners if they are noticing changes in winter weather and, if so, how these changes are impacting logging operations and how they are adjusting.
Management Implications:
- Minnesota loggers reported observing changes to winter weather that were impacting timber harvest operations.
- Many loggers are adapting to changing winter weather conditions by using debris or mats to cross unfrozen or semi-frozen ground, using wider tires or tracks on equipment, and preparing roads and landings in advance to make the best use of opportunities to log.
- Winter weather changes are not the only factors influencing disruptions to winter logging. Loggers also reported issues with workforce constraints, an industry trend towards heavier equipment, and less tolerance for soil disturbance and rutting – all of which may confound the role that winter weather plays in impacting harvesting opportunities.
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This general technical report, recently released by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, describes a broad range of relevant climate change impacts on forest operations, including potential effects to winter timber access. It provides considerations for planning forest operations and a variety of practices that may be useful for protection of natural resources and continued forest operations in the changing climate.
Management Implications:
- Active management (e.g. timber harvest) is an important tool for increasing forest resilience to climate change.
- Continued adherence to Minnesota Forest Resource Council’s Site Level Forest Management Guidelines will be necessary to protect soil and water resources.
- Strategic planning with as much relevant information as possible can help forest operations proceed efficiently while protecting natural resources.
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In this paper, Chadwick Rittenhouse and Adena Rissman examine how changing winter weather patterns affect forest management practices in Wisconsin. Using historical meteorological data and forest harvest records, the study analyzes trends in forest ground conditions and their implications for timber operations. The authors also interviewed forest managers to understand operational challenges and adaptation strategies.
Management Implications:
- The length of the frozen ground season in Wisconsin has decreased by approximately two to three weeks over the past 60 years, primarily due to warmer winter temperatures.
- Less frozen ground has led to increased harvests on dry, sandy soils and reduced harvests on moist or poorly drained soils.
- Forest managers have adapted by shifting harvest schedules or selecting different sites.
- Shorter frozen ground seasons may lead to increased rutting and soil compaction, complicating sustainable forest management practices and increasing costs for loggers and forest managers.
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