Climate Resilience

Warmer winters, longer growing seasons, more extreme weather, conditions favoring invasive insects and plants—Wisconsin’s climate is changing, putting many stresses on our forests. But it’s not all bad news. Wisconsin landowners can take action to make their woods more resilient to climate change. What’s more, the ability of forests to store carbon offers an opportunity to help mitigate climate change. Our new climate resilience program will help you understand what climate change means for your woods and empower you to take action.

Our climate resilience programming focuses on four main topics:

• Managing invasive plants
• Managing forests impacted by emerald ash borer
• Using prescribed fire to increase forest resilience
• Helping the next generation of trees grow in your woodland.

In addition, we provide outreach on forest carbon to help you make informed decisions about managing your woodland for carbon, including whether or not to enroll in a forest carbon program. Forest carbon programs align well with some landowners’ goals, but not with others’. 

You can sign up to receive email updates about our events and resources (make sure to check the “Climate Resilience” box).

Events

We held a webinar on Managing for Healthy and Resilient Woods in January 2026. Have you wondered what you can do to help maintain your woodland’s ecological health? Do you want to learn about how you can increase your woods’ resilience in a changing world? If so, watch the webinar recording!

We held an Introduction to Forest Carbon Programs webinar in December 2025. Have you heard about the voluntary carbon market and are unsure what it means for your woods? Have you been contacted by a forest carbon program and are trying to decide whether to enroll? Do you want to learn how your woods can help reduce the amount of carbon pollution in the atmosphere? If so, watch the webinar recording!

Our climate resilience program is funded in part by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources through a grant received as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Page last updated January 2026.