New Short Course for Land Managers Facing Climate Change
What role do forests and grasslands play in storing carbon and offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change? What options exist for encouraging carbon storage in forests, other vegetation and soils? A new resource, the short course Forest and Grassland Carbon in North America is designed to provide public and private land managers with information on the science, management and policy of forest and grassland carbon.
Course topics are divided into three themes:
- The carbon cycle and the role of ecosystems
- Carbon and wildland management
- Carbon assessments and markets
Managers can access the course online, or order the DVD as a General Technical Report published by the Forest Service Northern Research Station.
The short course is part of the content creation program of the Climate Change Resource Center, a web resource developed by the Forest Service to specifically address the resource manager’s question “What can I do about climate change?” by providing information about basic climate sciences and compiling knowledge resources and support for adaptation and mitigation strategies.
The site offers educational information, including basic science modules that explain climate and climate impacts, decision-support models, maps, simulations, case studies, and toolkits. The site is a joint project of the Forest Service Research Stations and the Environmental Threat Assessment Centers (WWETAC/EFETAC).