The University of Kentucky Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Colorado State University, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) will be hosting a climate change adaptation workshop for partners working on the ecology and management of Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests on the Robinson Forest in Kentucky. This workshop is part of the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) project which is a collaborative effort between managers and scientists working to establish experimental trials across a network of diverse forest ecosystem types throughout North America. Each trial is focused on understanding and evaluating management options designed to enable forests to respond to a changing climate. Site-specific treatments are developed according to local conditions and tailored to meet site-specific management objectives, while at the same time aligning under a common framework for addressing questions about how different forest types will respond to future climate.
Participation in this workshop will contribute directly to the treatment design for this long-term climate change adaptation study at Robinson Forest. This workshop, and the resulting experimental treatments, will help us better meet the challenges we face in a changing environment.
Workshop Goals
Our workshop focusing on Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests in Kentucky will serve two primary purposes:
- Engage managers and scientists in the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) co-development framework to create a suite of adaptive experimental silvicultural treatments in mixed mesophytic forest sites on the Robinson Forest in Kentucky that will be part of the ASCC Network;
- Develop specific management, research, and monitoring questions that can be addressed through the ASCC project.
The workshop times and locations for each day are listed below:
- Tuesday, November 1 at the Hilton Downtown Lexington from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT
- Wednesday, November 2 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. We will meet at the University of Kentucky* and then bus to Robinson Forest. *We will distribute UK parking passes on Tuesday.
- Thursday, November 3 at the Hilton Downtown Lexington from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
You can review the Robinson Forest ASCC Workshop Agenda here.
*Please note, we are planning on hiking on access roads to view a few of the ASCC treatment units (about 1 mile). If you have concerns about accessing the treatment sites, please contact Jacob.Muller@uky.edu directly.
*Please also note that we will be riding a bus together to and from Robinson Forest. University of Kentucky guidance lists masks as optional. If you choose to wear a mask, we encourage and support workshop participants who want to do so to wear them as an added layer of protection.
