The Forest Carbon and Climate Program in the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University is a central partner in a new $5.3 million USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program grant.
The grant is focused on reforestation of over 16,400 acres in 27 counties in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. Partners of this grant, titled Climate Action and Reforestation in Northern Michigan, include Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Huron Pines and the World Resource Institute.
As part of a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy, the project will help Michigan meet the enormous need for reforestation on private land at a large scale.
Fundamentally, the project helps Michigan forest owners develop healthy, climate-resilient forests that store carbon and provide sustainable, long-term sources of income for their families, thus helping to prevent conversion of forest to other land uses. Once eligible producers are selected, they will receive financial and technical assistance from private sector tree planting contractors, conservation district foresters, qualified private sector foresters, and the MSU Forest Carbon and Climate Program.
Read the full story on the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources website.