By Andi Anderson
The Michigan State University Forest Carbon and Climate Program has received two major awards to help advance climate smart forestry and carbon stewardship practices in the United States. The awards were granted in partnership with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and American Forests.
Funding for the project comes from the USDA Forest Service Forest Landowner Support program and the Doris Duke Foundation. Together, the grants support a project focused on advancing climate smart and carbon stewardship practices with large forest landowners across the country.
The project will develop a region-specific decision support process to help landowners manage forests in ways that improve resilience and long-term productivity. This approach considers local site conditions, climate-related threats, and adaptation strategies.
The work will take place across the Lake States and the Pacific Northwest, two areas that play an important role in U.S. forestry and carbon storage.
Researchers will review carbon stewardship practices that also support biodiversity and habitat connectivity. The project will also strengthen understanding of Climate Smart Forestry and Climate Informed Principles and Practices, often referred to as CLIPPs.
Activities will include reviewing scientific research, modeling different forest management scenarios, identifying effective practices, and establishing a monitoring system to track results. Findings will be shared with Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committees.
As part of the effort, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative is offering a payment for practice funding program. This program provides grants of up to three hundred thousand dollars to support climate smart forestry activities on forest lands of at least three hundred acres. Eligible landowners must own a minimum of fifty thousand acres. Applications are open until February 27, 2026.
This new project builds on earlier work completed in 2024, when the Michigan State team analyzed regional forestry workshops and developed a decision support framework for climate smart forestry activities.
Overall, the awards strengthen collaboration between researchers, conservation groups, and landowners.
The work is expected to support healthier forests, improved carbon management, and sustainable forestry practices that benefit both the environment and the forestry sector over the long term.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-paul-hartley
Categories: Michigan, General