Northwest natural resourceS group

CLIMATE CHALLENGE: Bigger, HOtter Fires

GRANT AWARD: $101,905; YEAR AWARDED: 2020

As the climate warms, Pacific Northwest forests are expected to suffer the impacts of increased summer drought, heat waves, and wildfire, making it harder for forests to protect biodiversity and sequester carbon. Additionally, these elevated temperatures are predicted to reduce snowpack at middle elevations, leading to drier soils and lower summer stream flows. On 240 acres, Northwest Natural Resource Group will demonstrate the impact of forest thinning to lower-than-usual densities, which will spread available soil moisture among fewer trees, enhancing their odds of survival. They will also make patch cuts, forming gaps that accumulate snow more effectively than continuous forest canopy. These snow gaps will extend spring and early summer snowmelt, releasing water into the soil and headwater streams when it is most needed. The project team will then reforest the gaps with seedlings grown from seed collected at lower elevations that are more adapted to warmer climates.