Group 10: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan for Urban Forests
Prepared By: Sean Lim, Liv Bunde, Clare Grilley, Cassondra Janssen, Kai Knudson, Abigail Sveen
Purpose: To provide adaptation and mitigation plan that supports the health and well-being needs of future residents and aligns with the Hopkins Comprehensive Plan goals.
Objectives: This comprehensive report will explain the methods and resources used to estimate the severity of climate change in regards to precipitation and temperature, map areas of interest that have the highest potential for flood and storm impacts, create recommendations on species, placement, and management to maintain forests and develop methods of outreach on public mitigation and adaptation methods.
Introduction
Map of Hopkins, MN
Image courtesy of Dirk Last, 2020 |
Various photos of Hopkins, MN
Courtesy of Bridget Robertson, 2020 |
Climate Change Overview
The world has been going through cycles of differing climates ranging from glacial advance and retreat to warmer mean global temperatures. However, in recent human history, there has been rapid warming of the earth due to human activity. Climate change has and will continue to have catastrophic real-world consequences for communities across the globe. Specifically, in the Midwest, temperatures are expected to increase between 4.5° and 9.5° Fahrenheit by 2085 and large rain events with greater than one inch of precipitation will become more frequent. Urban areas have more man made structures in comparison to nearby rural areas, and are likely to exacerbate climate issues due to a decrease in albedo, or an increase in the absorption of solar radiation. Impervious road surfaces and buildings increase the frequency and severity of flood events by preventing infiltration.
What this means for Hopkins
Hopkins experiences fragmented, low diversity urban forests, which, in general, are less likely to be resilient in the face of, or able to migrate away from climate issues. Hopkins will experience negative impacts of climate change ranging from potential flooding due to increased rainfall and the reduction or even loss of native species that are sensitive to climatic changes. Adapting the urban forests can provide a lessening of the urban heat island effect, flood impact reductions, and increasing carbon storage and sequestration. The effects of climate change are already being observed, so resilient urban planning should adhere to a changing climate (“adaptation”) rather than current conditions. These plans will propose the best steps to protect and mitigate the effects of climate change for subsequent generations and posterity.
Methods
To create our recommendations, we used a variety of research tools and literature review to better understand how Hopkins will change due to climate change, and to understand which management practices and tree species would be best suited for Hopkins.
To create our recommendations, we used a variety of research tools and literature review to better understand how Hopkins will change due to climate change, and to understand which management practices and tree species would be best suited for Hopkins.
Research Tools
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Recommendations
Urban Forest Tree Species Recommendations
To Plant/Maintain: We recommend Hopkins plant the above trees; Ginkgo, hackberry, Kentucky coffeetree, and cerviceberry. Additionally, Hopkins could also plant or maintain existing populations of oak, little-leaf linden, and American hophornbeam. In cases where maple, aspen, tamarack, or elm trees are already planted, it would be beneficial to maintain those trees, instead of replacing them, but new ones should not be planted. These recommendations factor in both low vulnerability to climate change, as well as species that can perform well for street use within the big woods regions of Southeast Minnesota.
To Avoid: We recommend treating when necessary but not planting new species that have a particular weakness to parasites. This means no more planting of new ash, oak cherry, plum, dogwood, or anything that has a boring beetle potential as climate change makes beetle breeding season longer and it could result in outbreaks. Hopkins should avoid White Pine and Red Pine as these species are not native nor would they fare well under climate change in this specific region. Additional information about tree species and their characteristics can be found at the following websites; UMN Plant Database, USDA Plant Database |
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Additional Climate Change Response Recommendations
Recommendations for reducing fuel for wildfires are of lesser importance because of the low forest density in Hopkins and the presence of a local fire department which could swiftly respond to any incidents. Recommendations for wind and ice damage deal with the removal and pruning of weak or dead limbs to prevent infrastructural damage. For urban areas, this management is most important around areas of physical safety concern, such as hiking trails and playgrounds, as well as at the margins of forests where wind power is greatest.
Other steps outside of expanding urban canopy coverage, such as decarbonization and wetland/grassland restoration and conservation will help in combating climate change at a local level.
Recommendations for reducing fuel for wildfires are of lesser importance because of the low forest density in Hopkins and the presence of a local fire department which could swiftly respond to any incidents. Recommendations for wind and ice damage deal with the removal and pruning of weak or dead limbs to prevent infrastructural damage. For urban areas, this management is most important around areas of physical safety concern, such as hiking trails and playgrounds, as well as at the margins of forests where wind power is greatest.
Other steps outside of expanding urban canopy coverage, such as decarbonization and wetland/grassland restoration and conservation will help in combating climate change at a local level.
Conclusion
Through the strategic management of natural and community resources Hopkins City Planners can better prepare the city for the inevitable changes in the climate and a warming planet. Because of this, the City can greatly expand and strengthen its existing urban canopy coverage. Trees take decades to mature, therefore, understanding and planning for the future of the urban forest are incredibly important.
Protecting Hopkins from climate change while combating global warming begins with tree planting. Trees provide invaluable benefits for urban municipal and rural communities alike. Trees can directly provide or indirectly foster all four main ecosystem services: provisioning, supporting, regulating, and cultural. Trees greatly improve air quality and soil integrity, reducing adverse health effects of the citizenry and residents. Furthermore, trees reduce the urban heat island effect, collect particulate matter, sequester carbon, and curb nutrient runoff.
Climate change is a challenge facing all communities regardless of size. By planting trees better prepared to withstand changing climate, urban heat-island effect and energy use will decrease for Hopkins residents, and health of humans and ecosystems will vastly improve over time.
Protecting Hopkins from climate change while combating global warming begins with tree planting. Trees provide invaluable benefits for urban municipal and rural communities alike. Trees can directly provide or indirectly foster all four main ecosystem services: provisioning, supporting, regulating, and cultural. Trees greatly improve air quality and soil integrity, reducing adverse health effects of the citizenry and residents. Furthermore, trees reduce the urban heat island effect, collect particulate matter, sequester carbon, and curb nutrient runoff.
Climate change is a challenge facing all communities regardless of size. By planting trees better prepared to withstand changing climate, urban heat-island effect and energy use will decrease for Hopkins residents, and health of humans and ecosystems will vastly improve over time.
Meet the Team!
We'd like to thank Jason Lindahl, Kersten Elverum, and Jan Youngquist from Hopkins City Planning and Community Development Departments for their assistance and guidance with this project, as well as Valerie McClanahan from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Additionally, we thank our course instructors Kristen Nelson Ph.D., Eric North Ph.D., and Hannah Ramer for their continued guidance and feedback throughout our project. As an honorable mention, we thank Clare's cats for their emotional support.
Select Sources and Relevant Data
Additional sources available in Full Report
Additional sources available in Full Report
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