Presentation to Highlight Climate Change Impacts on Maine Forests and Ecology

Please note: This presentation has been cancelled.

Free and open to the public, the presentation will be held on Tuesday, February 26, from 7-9 p.m. in Room 10 of Bailey Hall on USM’s Gorham campus.

In his presentation, Dr. Jacobson will highlight how natural variability in climate has influenced Maine ecosystems since the end of the last ice age 14,000 years ago. He will also discuss the impact human activities have had on climate and how climate changes over the next century could affect Maine’s vegetation, animal populations and marine ecosystems.

A professor of biology, ecology and climate change at the University of Maine, Jacobson has focused his research on past climates, and especially on forest responses to climate changes of the last 60,000 years. He has chaired scientific advisory panels for the NOAA Paleoclimate Program and the European Science Foundation, and has served as an advisor to the Finnish Academy of Sciences in its development of a paleoclimate program.

Forest ecologist Rob Bryan will open the discussion with remarks on Maine Audubon’s work on climate change. Evaluating the impacts of climate change on forests and wildlife habitat, the organization has developed forest management guidelines for growing forests that are more resilient to global warming. Maine Audubon has also worked to support climate-friendly energy alternatives like windpower while finding ways to limit their impacts on wildlife.

The presentations will be followed by a question and answer session.

The Small Woodlot Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM) promotes stewardship of Maine’s small woodland resources by providing information on better forest management, connecting woodlot owners and coordinating a land trust program.

Maine Audubon works to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat through education, conservation and action.

The University of Southern Maine is the comprehensive metropolitan university in Maine, serving some 10,500 students with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn. Founded in 1878, USM is a member of the University of Maine System, and currently offers over 50 majors and more than 40 academic programs.

##