Itasca Climate Dialogue Opportunities

The opportunities below are listed in order as determined by the 18 participants. The bullet points include additional information highlighting why the participants felt the opportunity was important and significant.

1. We can manage forests so that they’re more adaptable in the face of changing conditions by pursuing the following strategies:
   1. Manage forests for diversity so that they contain their full array of native tree species, some of which may be adapted to future climate conditions, and evaluate tree species southwest of the Itasca area for suitability to future climate conditions.
   2. Thin overly dense pine forests on a regular basis to increase soil moisture and tree growth, improve pine resistance and resilience against drought, and produce a marketable supply of good-sized pines to timber mills.
   3. Address the potential loss of ash trees (due to Emerald Ash Borer) by managing forests to ensure growth of new species, using small patch cutting to create suitable habitat for new species and by evaluating the species best suited to replace ash trees.
   • Addressing this opportunity can have a large, broad impact on a variety of issues.
   • Planting new species is a good, gradual way to adapt to changes.
   • Healthy forests lead to better water and air quality.

1. Information is power. We can ensure information is accessible. Decision-makers at all levels – including individuals, government, and businesses – need to be informed and engaged concerning how changes in climate affect our natural resources and economy. It’s important to adapt present practices based on new information.
   • We need to be informed about what’s happening and about the resources available to deal with it.
   • We can’t make changes if the general public is not aware of these issues.
   • Individuals and the community need to be informed and engaged in decision-making processes.
2. We can accept changes to natural systems and change the way we manage these systems. One opportunity is to move natural resource management into a long-term planning and sustainability mode, which includes empowering citizen interests in the planning process and being adaptive but realistic about changes.
   • We need to shift away from our short-term view.
   • Drastic changes mean we need to look to manage for the long-term, because extreme events can disrupt short-term management strategies.
   • This approach can lead to fiscal savings over the long-term.
3. To manage excessive water during extreme weather events, we can reduce imperviousness and allow water to infiltrate into the ground; we can adapt stormwater infrastructure to hold higher volumes; and we can maintain riparian buffers and forest cover, using natural features that slow or retain water.
4. To effectively manage water in times of drought, we can implement water conservation measures to maximize the benefit of every drop of water; we can prioritize water uses and allocations by identifying the most important uses to maintain in a drought; and we can plan water-consumptive development.
5. After a drastic weather event, we can communicate correct information and get it out there in a timely manner (like Visit Duluth after the 2012 storms and flooding).
6. We can protect and preserve habitat and food sources for bird and insect populations, which helps protect other wildlife.
7. We can market what we have, by marketing alternatives to snow (like ice) during seasons with low snowfall.
8. To ensure public safety and reduce property damage during and after extreme weather events, we can avoid developing in floodplains.
9. To protect and strengthen our infrastructure, we can increase the life of our capital investments and reduce operational disruptions.

Take me back to the Itasca Climate Dialogue project page!