Loggers May Face Muddy Forests and Challenges with Climate Change

Loggers may be facing more challenges due to climate change. Muddy forests and shorter winters could spell disaster for loggers as stable, frozen ground melts.

Jack pine, a characteristic north woods Wisconsin species that loggers target, is declining. In fact, areas that have been harvested are often replaced with different species, changing the overall ecosystem. That's why researchers decided to take a closer look at what may be impacting these forests.

The scientists examined how long-term weather trends affect forestry. The researchers examined data from weather records from airports and modeled when the ground was frozen. In addition, the scientists looked at records from the Department of Natural Resources that showed harvest records for various trees species, and also conducted interviews with forest managers and loggers.

In the end, the researchers found that the period of frozen ground has declined by an average of two to three weeks since 1948. Since then, wood harvests have shifted in years with more variability in freezing and thawing to red pine and jack pine, which are species that grow in sandy, well-drained soil that can support trucks and heavy equipment when not frozen.

Mud can actually make forests impassable in fall, and even more so after the snow melts in spring. This makes it difficult for companies that buy standing trees.

"This study identifies real challenges facing forest managers, loggers, landowners and industry," said Chad Rittenhouse, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Once we understood the trends in frozen ground, we realized how pulling out that issue tugged on economics, livelihood, forest ecology, wildlife habitat and policy."

The findings are published in the Journal of Environmental Management.

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).