Can Climate Change Mitigation Through Forest Management Save the Moose in Minnesota?

Moose are an economically and culturally important species in Minnesota. Like many species, however, moose are experiencing reductions in distribution and abundance across the Midwest as a result of climate change and habitat loss. Moose populations have declined by 60% since 2006, in part because of thermal heat stress in warming summers and increased frequency of contact with white-tailed deer that transmit fatal parasites. Forest managers are looking for actionable strategies to improve moose habitat in the near-term while also planning for future forest conditions in a warming climate.  

To address this need, this project brings together researchers and managers to examine how climate adaptive forest management strategies can mitigate negative impacts of climate change on moose while reducing contact with deer. During a workshop, moose experts and forest managers in northeast Minnesota will identify key broad- and fine-scale moose habitat characteristics that can be managed at operational scales and discuss the forestry management techniques needed, such as silviculture. The information will then be used to model the effects of these management practices on forests under different climate change scenarios using the forest landscape model LANDIS (Landscape Disturbance and Succession model). Researchers will also couple moose and deer habitat suitability models with the projected forestry changes to understand where the two species would spatially overlap under different projections. Managers can use this information to strategically identify areas across multiple land ownerships most suitable for improving regional moose foraging and cover habitat under both current and future forest conditions, ensuring the long-term persistence of moose in Minnesota.