Monitoring:
Monitoring is an essential component of the ASCC study. Research partners from the University of Minnesota and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science are working together with the City of Saint Paul to investigate the effectiveness of different management treatments aimed at creating adaptive ecosystems. Some of the monitoring items include:
- Natural regeneration and planted seedling survival and growth, including browse protection and avoided trampling of seedlings, and
- Soil moisture and microclimate conditions.
Progress & Next Steps:
Plots (6 replicates of each treatment plus controls) were established in 2020. Following the removal of dead ash, 8-foot deer fencing was installed and plots were planted with species selected for the resistance, resilience, or transition treatment. Growth, survival and condition data have been collected biannually since spring 2020. A subset of trees are monitored weekly for phenology.
A key component of this project will be continued community engagement, with an overarching goal of creating an educated, engaged public, involved in local climate adaptation efforts.