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Scientists & Staff

Maria Janowiak

Maria Janowiak

Deputy Director, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
Climate, Fire, and Carbon Cycle Sciences
410 MacInnes Dr.
Houghton, MI, 49931
Phone: 906-482-6303 x1329

Contact Maria Janowiak


Current Research

My work at the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science is focused on translating science related to climate change and carbon into usable information, resources, and tools for forestry and conservation professionals. Climate change is a growing concern for foresters, natural resource professionals, and woodland owners; NIACS provides resources and technical assistance to help people integrate climate change into their management in order to sustain healthy and productive ecosystems over the long term, even as the world changes around us. 

My primary project is the Climate Change Response Framework, which is a collaborative, cross-boundary effort to engage scientists, natural resource managers, and woodland owners to integrate climate change considerations into on-the-ground planning and activities. We started this project as a pilot in northern Wisconsin in 2009, and it has grown to cover nearly 250 million acres of forest across the Midwest and Northeast. I coordinate Climate Change Response Framework activities in New England and northern New York, working with a variety of public and private land management and conservation organizations to help forest ecosystems adapt to changing conditions. This work involves communicating the effects of climate change on regional forests and working with managers to develop real-world examples of climate change adaptation. As the Deputy Director of NIACS, I also manage many of the day-to-day operations of our productive and busy team.

Education

  • Michigan Technological University, M.S. Forest Ecology and Management,
  • Michigan Technological University, B.S. Forestry,

Professional Organizations

  • Forest Stewards Guild
  • Society of American Foresters (SAF)
  • American Society of Adaptation Professionals

Awards & Recognition

  • Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources, 2017 NIACS received the first Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources in the federal agency category in 2016. The award recognizes innovative approaches to prevent changes that are affecting valuable wildlife and natural resources.

Featured Publications & Products

Publications & Products

Other Publications

  • Janowiak, M.K.; Webster, C.R. 2010. Promoting Ecological Sustainability in Woody Biomass Harvesting. Journal of Forestry. 108(1): 16-23.
    Janowiak, M.; Nagel, L.M.; Webster, C. 2010. Minimum Tree Size and Interpretation of Stand Structure in Uneven-Aged Northern Hardwoods. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry. 27(1): 34-37.
    Janowiak, M.K.; Nagel, L.M.; Webster, C.R. 2008. Spatial Scale and Stand Structure in Northern Hardwood Forests: Implications for Quantifying Diameter Distributions. Forest Science. 54(5): 497-506.
    Neuendorff, J.K.; Nagel, L.M.; Webster, C.R.; Janowiak, M.K. 2007. Stand Structure and Composition in a Northern Hardwood Forest after 40 Years of Single-Tree Selection. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry. 24(3): 197-202.

National Research Highlights

The Adaptation Workbook online tool is a structured tool for land managers to use to integrate climate change into management plans. Users of the tool draw from ecosystem vulnerability assessments published by the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station. Danielle Shannon, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science.

Resources Help Land Managers Adapt to a Changing Climate

Year: 2016

An adaptation planning tool developed by the Forest Service and its partners has helped generate more than 185 examples of climate change adaptation across the Northeast and Midwest.

Last modified: Wednesday, January 17, 2018