Can Michigan’s forests survive climate change? One researcher is finding out

• Climate change is pushing Michigan’s tree species out of their growing regions, threatening the future of the state’s forests and its timber industry
• An MSU professor is planting and monitoring thousands of trees across the state to find samples with traits that could help forests withstand rising temperatures
• Researchers will track tree survival, heights and diameters to identify the most resilient samples

As Michigan’s climate warms, tree species like red pine and eastern white pine may no longer thrive here. Their native regions are moving north faster than forests can keep up with.

That could have devastating consequences for Michigan’s $26.5 billion timber industry and rob the state of the ecological services the forest provides like carbon storage, water filtration and wildlife habitats.

To help forests stand a chance, Michigan State University forest genetics professor Jeremy Johnson is experimenting with “assisted tree migration.” The idea: plant trees in warmer regions now and identify the ones with traits that can handle the future climate.

“We can improve the genetic gain in those trees and start an orchard where we have seed that is adapted to the future climates,” Johnson said. “And that’ll allow the species to persist in the future projected climates.”