Prairie Edge Chapter of Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes invites you to attend their monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 12th.   The topic is Climate Change in Minnesota Forests  Because Minnesota has three major biomes–grasslands, temperate forests of oak and maple, and boreal forests of spruce, fir, pine and birch–the native vegetation of the state is very susceptible to a warming climate. With a business as usual scenario we expect grasslands and temperate forests to move north into the boreal biome of the Boundary Waters. A number of other changes in the environment will reinforce the effects of warmer temperatures, including more droughts, storms, fires, deer grazing, and invasive earthworms. 

The presenter is Dr. Lee Frelich, Research Associate and Director, University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology.  His current research interests include fire and wind in boreal forests, old-growth hemlock and maple forests, invasive earthworms in forests, deer and moose browsing, patterns of tree height, and impacts of climate change.