If trees had feet . . .

With such an overwhelming and far-reaching topic like climate change, it can be hard to know what to do to help, or where to start. The same goes for land stewardship. How do we help the natural areas we care so much about given the impacts of climate change, current and future?

We decided a good place to start would be to focus on a universally valued and easy to see part of the natural landscape: trees.

Drone photo by Keto Gyekis.

We know that historically during naturally occurring climate changes, tree species migrated hundreds of miles over time. Dense layers of tree pollen that settle in the bottom of lakes stack like pages in a history book to tell the story. They show us that as the climate warmed, species like hemlocks and birches retreated north to stay cool, while species like oaks and hickories moved in behind them, filling the void.¹ Despite this natural ability of trees to disperse, the current human-caused climate change is unfolding more quickly than historical change, and trees species are unlikely to keep up with this rapid pace. ² ³ A human-dominated landscape also means the trees would have to move through vast stretches of urban and agricultural areas, where they may not be able to take root and continue their northward movement.

And since trees don’t have feet, we decided to give them a hand.

These leaves represent four of the 57 trees and shrubs used in climate-resilient plantings, including species and genetic strains found locally as well as those found naturally within 100 miles to the south.

In 2020, five partner conservation organizations (Chikaming Open Lands, The Nature Conservancy in Michigan, Ottawa County Parks, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, and Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy) got together to explore what local conservation organizations can do to help Lake Michigan’s shoreline ecosystems be resilient when facing climate change challenges. Together, they received a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society Climate Adaptation Fund, generously supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Over three years, the partners took on major projects to restore and improve forest health on 427 acres along 100 miles of Lake Michigan natural areas.

Along with tried-and-true approaches like invasive pest management, beneficial canopy thinning – and, of course, tree planting – the partners utilized species and genotypes of trees that are predicted to be resilient under climate change. We blended tree species and genetic strains found within 100 miles to our south with time-tested local natives, to create a carefully crafted species list that we used in several forest restoration projects. Intentionally planting trees that are native to this area, as well as 100 miles to the south, will hopefully help tree species make the long journeys that they have historically done on their own, but now can’t due to inhospitable human landscapes.

In doing so, we not only created new forest habitat, we also captured carbon and increased biodiversity – while helping tree species.

¹  Hupy, C.M., Yansa, C.H. (2009). Late Holocene Vegetation History of the Forest Tension Zone in Central Lower Michigan, USA. Physical Geography, 3, 205-235.

²  McLachlan, Jason S., J.S. Clark, & P. S. Manos (2005). Molecular indicators of tree migration capacity under rapid climate change. Ecology, 8, 2088-2098.

³  Malcolm, Jay R., A. Markham, R. P. Neilson, & M. Garaci (2002). Estimated migration rates under scenarios of global climate change. Journal of Biogeography, 7, 835-849.