Maine’s climate future: The role of carbon management in farms and forests with Ivan Fernandez

This winter the Belfast Garden Club Evening Lecture Series co-sponsored by the All of Belfast Climate Dialogues, a project of the Belfast Free Library,  will focus on the effects of the Climate Crisis on our forests, farms, gardens and food supply.

Register for the zoom link here

This presentation will address three main topics.  First Ivan Fernandez will summarize key findings from climate assessments focused on Maine, primarily the Maine’s Climate Future reports and the assessment report of the Maine Climate Council’s Scientific and Technical Subcommittee. Then he will discuss how farms and forests can contribute to what is often called ‘Natural Climate Solutions’. He will talk about soils and soil health, primarily considering soils on farms, and how enhancing soil organic carbon can promote both the resilience of the soil in light of climate risks as well as contribute to reducing atmospheric carbon concentrations. The presentation will also summarize forest  management recommendations from the recent Governor’s Task Force on a Forest Carbon Program in Maine.

Dr. Fernandez is a Professor in the School of Forest Resources, Climate Change Institute, and School of Food and Agriculture at the University of Maine. He has served on various U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board committees in Washington DC since 2000. He represents the University of Maine in the USDA Northeast Climate Hub and has been involved in leading the Maine’s Climate Future assessments in 2009, 2015, and 2020.