Past Webcasts

Minnesota Million: Reforestation for Carbon Sequestration

(11am CT, 10am MT, 9am PT)

Reforesting one million acres in Minnesota could draw down 1.6 million tons of C0₂ annually while simultaneously benefitting water resources, habitat, and resilience to extreme events such as intense rainfall and heatwaves. The will to do this will not be enough, though, unless we develop ways to grow enough conservation-grade tree seedlings to meet reforestation demand. Join us for this episode to hear how one effort underway at the University of Minnesota Duluth aims to increase the capacity of farmers and tree nurseries to produce tree seedlings and, in turn, scale up forest restoration potential across their state.

Guest

Julie Etterson

University of Minnesota Duluth

Director, Institute on the Environment

Dr. Etterson (Distinguished McKnight University Professor) uses the tools of ecological genetics to understand factors that influence the persistence of native plant populations in response to anthropogenic changes in the environment. She uses quantitative genetics to understand the underlying genetic architecture of traits to gain insight into the potential for ongoing adaptive evolution and the limits of natural selection to mold populations in response to climate change. In the last decade, she has turned her attention to understanding how we can sequester C02 and transition forests for climate resilience while we are doing habitat restoration.