Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

Climate Change Response Framework

The Climate Change Response Framework (CCRF) is a highly collaborative approach to helping land managers integrate climate change considerations into forest management. Since 2009, the Framework has bridged the gap between scientific research on climate change impacts and on-the-ground natural resource management.

Currently, six Framework projects encompass 19 states, including 14 national forests and millions of acres of forestland, and hundreds of federal, state, tribal, and private partners. Each regional project interweaves four components: science and management partnerships, vulnerability assessments, adaptation resources, and demonstration projects.

The Climate Change Response Framework is a core forest adaptation component of the USDA Northern Forests Regional Climate Hub.

Climate Change Resource Center

The US Forest Service Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) is a web-based, national resource that connects land managers and decision makers with useable science to address climate change in planning and application. The CCRC addresses the land manager's question "What can I do about climate change?" by providing information about climate change impacts on forests and other ecosystems, and approaches to adaptation and mitigation in forests and grasslands. The website compiles and creates educational resources, climate change and carbon tools, video presentations, literature, and briefings on management-relevant topics, ranging from basic climate change information to details on specific management responses. 

Northern Forests Climate Hub

The USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub (NFCH) provides practical science-based climate information and climate adaptation training for landowners, natural resource professionals, and other stakeholders managing forested ecosystems. Led by NIACS, the NFCH tiers to and expands on the work of the Midwest and Northeast Regional Climate Hubs, providing forest sector-specific information and connections to the natural resource management community. Additionally, the NFCH collaborates across the country with national partners and regional hubs to produce specialized adaptation resources and training events.

Carbon Trends and Management

The Carbon Trends and Management team uses creative combinations of new and existing data to answer questions about forest carbon sequestration, its variability, vulnerability, and management. Through books and technical reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, presentations and organized sessions at professional conferences, NIACS staff working remain at the leading edge of forest carbon research and its applications. Collaborations are key to the Carbon Trends and Management program; from NIACS’ founding role in the development of the International Soil Carbon Network (ISCN), to training workshops for international scientists and land managers, to research projects supported by NSF, USGS, and USDA, NIACS staff work with partners across state and federal agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions to conduct and deliver carbon science.

Radiocarbon Collaborative

The Radiocarbon collaborative is jointly supported by the USDA Forest Service, the Keck Carbon Cycle AMS Facility at University of California, Irvine and Michigan Technological University. We make radiocarbon analysis accessible to earth system scientists, and assist in data interpretation and manuscript preparation. Data produced by the Radiocarbon Collaborative is made publically available  through the International Soil Carbon Network, with an online database dedicated to fostering greater collaboration among researchers.

The Radiocarbon Collaborative includes our sample prep lab, the Carbon Water & Soils lab. We are located at the USDA Forestry Sciences Laboratory, just up the hill from the Noblet Forestry Building, and are available for consultation on the application of radiocarbon to a diversity research questions.

Carbon, Water, & Soils Lab

 Radiocarbon is a unique and naturally occurring environmental tracer that allows researchers to track the flow of C among ecosystem components and estimate the mean residence time of carbon in these pools. Radiocarbon has applications in nearly all fields of environmental science, and allows unique insight into climate change effects on the terrestrial carbon cycle.

The Carbon Water & Soils Lab prepares Radiocarbon Collaborative samples for radiocarbon measurement through conversion of samples to graphite. We are located at the USDA Forestry Sciences Laboratory, just up the hill from the Noblet Forestry Building, and are available for consultation on the application of radiocarbon to a diversity research questions.