Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

Purpose

While it is clear that the global climate system is warming, there are significant uncertainties about how and to what extent social, economic, and ecological systems will be impacted. Forests provide innumerable benefits, including the wood and non-timber forest products, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and important ecosystem services like the protection of water quality and carbon sequestration. Collaborative partnerships that share current science on climate-informed land management practices and integrate new information into on-the-ground management are critical for enhancing the ability of forested landscapes to persist and thrive in a changing climate.
The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) has been designed as a collaborative effort among the Forest Service, universities, conservation organizations, and forest industry to provide information on managing forests for climate change adaptation and enhanced carbon sequestration. As a regional, multi-institutional entity, NIACS builds partnerships, facilitates research, and synthesizes information to bridge the gap between carbon and climate science research and the information and management needs of natural resource professionals, woodland owners, policymakers, and members of the public.

The mission of NIACS is to provide applied ecological, economic, social, and cultural information that can be used in climate adaptation and forest carbon management, including carbon sequestration and bioenergy.

Details about current NIACS projects can be found at www.niacs.org.
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Our Partners

NIACS works with partners to ensure that our information and products effectively serve the needs of land managers and other stakeholders (Programmatic contacts are listed here).

• U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station (NRS)
• U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
• U.S. Forest Service Eastern Region
• Michigan Technological University (MTU)
• National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) 
• College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota
• University of Vermont (UVM)
• Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC)
• American Forests

Our History

In 2010, the Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science became the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science in order to reflect the broader application of climate and carbon science.