SierraScape March 2015 - August 2015
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by Becky Denney
Outings Leader Eastern Missouri Group |
Caroline Pufalt
Conservation Chair Missouri Sierra Club |
That old saying "everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it" takes on a new meaning in a world facing climate change. Of course a day's weather is not climate but enough days and sooner or later its climate.
Most of us are rightly focused on stopping man made climate change. But landowners who are doing long term planning, as in good forestry, need to make decisions now in light of predicted climate changes. That's why Missouri's Pioneer Forest, in cooperation with the Wildlife Conservation Society, is conducting research on climate change and forests.
Pioneer Forest is Mo's largest privately owned forest and has a deserved reputation for responsible forestry. Pioneer Forest is also home to the Roger Pryor Backcountry area, in which many Sierrans have enjoyed hiking. The Club also helps maintain the portion of the Ozark Trail which is in Pioneer Forest.
By the end of the century, the expected impact of global warming on Missouri is an annual mean temperature increase of 2-7 degrees F., increased spring and winter precipitation with declines in summer and increased frequency and intensity of wildfire. In MO these changes would likely favor shortleaf pine and post oak, while hampering growth of red and black oak.
In test areas Pioneer Forest is managing with increased controlled burns and techniques to encourage fire resistant species and reduced understory. Pioneer Forest began a small area of study in 2007, but has recently been able to more than double the test areas.
Pioneer Forest began study of tree growth and forest composition as far back as 1952. It has contributed significant data and study results on a variety of Ozark area forestry issues. In the 1990s it helped establish the viability of lower impact, uneven age forestry, as opposed to systems that relied more on clear cutting. It should come as no surprise that Pioneer Forest is again out front with research to help responsible forest owners adapt to a changing climate.