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Join Drs. Miranda Curzon and Marcella Windmuller-Campione as they discuss their work on two Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) project sites. The ASCC project represents a collaboration between managers and scientists to establish experimental trials that assess forest ecosystem response to climate adaptation approaches (resistance, resilience, transition, and passive no action). Miranda will introduce a new multi-state ASCC study to be implemented on state-owned lands in the Driftless Area. Next, Marcella will provide two-year results and insights from another ASCC site, a 736-acre urban floodplain forest in St. Paul, MN on the Mississippi River.

(Time:1:22:00) Participants will learn how soil biology directly and indirectly influence crop growth and nutrient cycling, along with methods for measuring biological activity in soil and interpreting soil respiration to understand nutrient availability. This webinar will provide information on how soil health can be measured in a lab, along with plant available nutrients and the importance of accounting for both the organic and inorganic forms of N, P, and K.

Bees are incredibly diverse and provide important ecological services such as pollination. However, baseline information such as faunistic surveys and habitat associations are lacking for most bee species in Minnesota. The Minnesota Biological Survey initiated a statewide native bee survey in 2015 that has increased the statewide list to well over 450 bee species and improved our understanding of the distribution and conservation status of many species. Forest-specific bees and their life histories with respect to forest management will be highlighted along with the overall results of the bee survey.

This is an updated version of the training that utilizes YouTube videos and a quiz based format. You will need a copy of the Minnesota’s Forest Management Guidelines Quick Reference Field Guide (also known as the Pocket Guide) to actively complete the course.

• Pocket Guide
• Full Guidelines

The quizzes require students to look at this publication for answers. Attempting to complete this course without the Pocket Guide is NOT recommended. Failure to refer to the Pocket Guide will limit successful completion with a passing score.

To obtain credit for completing this course, you will need to successfully complete ALL of the modules below with a passing score. Upon successful completion of each module, you will receive a Module Completion Code in the feedback portion and as a separate email.

(Time: 57:21)  In this session, Dr. Jessica Gutknecht discusses soil health. When you think about the soil beneath your feet, or beneath your tractor, what does it mean for it to be healthy? What does it take for it to be healthy, and what are the results of those efforts? In this talk, we will explore the world below with a brief introduction to soils, how soil structure is built into a healthy soil, and some management options for building a healthy soil. We will also discuss the win-win of soil health for sustainable management and for adaptation to increasingly variable Minnesota weather and climate.

(Time: 1:55)  Participants in the webinar learn about Natural Resources Conservation Service conservation planning principles to improve soil health and the impact soil health has on other resource concerns, such as water quality.