The Northeast includes the nation’s most populous city, the most heavily forested states, and tree species at their northern or southern range limits and likely to experience climate change impacts. As such, the region’s forestry practitioners have the opportunity to set the standard for socially informed management for climate change adaptation and resilience. Yet little experimentation has occurred on this topic in the northern conifer (spruce–fir) forest that covers 6 million acres of the region. To fill this knowledge gap, we will answer three questions: “What are alternatives for climate-adaptive northern conifer forest management? What are the ecological and economic outcomes? What are practitioners’ and landowners’ values and perceptions?” Work will proceed in three phases. First, we will initiate a 400-acre experiment in Maine to assess operational-scale climate-adaptative forest management. Measured and modeled outcomes will include climate adaptation, ecological resilience (e.g., microclimate, habitat diversity, and soil health), and economic outputs. Second, we will use surveys and focus groups across the region to determine values and perceptions of climate-adaptive silviculture among those who own and manage forestland. Third, we will use a range of approaches to communicate findings on forest management for climate change adaptation with implications for ecological resilience, economic outcomes, and social license. In the future, the experiment will be integrated into the U.S. Forest Service’s research portfolio, allowing confirmation of early results. This project will advance forest climate change adaptation and resilience in a context of economic and social constraints, facilitating more resilient forest and human communities.

Presentations: 

McCloskey, D.; Kenefic, L.; Simons-Legaard, E.; Rogers, N.; Sachdeva, S.; Roach, S. 2025. Climate Adaptivity Outcomes of Conventional Silviculture in Northern Conifer Forests. New England Society of American Foresters Winter Meeting, Devens, MA, March 2025. Poster presentation. Published abstract (page 22 of News Quarterly): https://nesaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/NQ_apr_2025.pdf 

McCloskey, D.; Kenefic, L.; Simons-Legaard, E.; Rogers, N.; Sachdeva, S.; Roach, S. 2025. Managing Mixedwood Forests for the Future: Outcomes from Long-Term Silviculture. Northern Hardwoods Conference, Syracuse, NY, August 2025. Poster presentation. Published abstract (page 22-23 of Proceedings):  https://docs.google.com/document/d/16foFjBk6h1qUAj0v-nKIcObWPOSR8IxZ/edit 

McCloskey, D.; Kenefic, L.; Simons-Legaard, E.; Rogers, N.; Sachdeva, S.; Roach, S. 2025. Conventional Silviculture and Climate Adaptivity: Outcomes from 70 Years of Data in Northern Conifer Forests. Society of American Foresters National Convention, Hartford, CT, October 2025. Poster presentation.