The Rockefeller Foundation’s Post

To Cari, Tai, Maggie, Kevin, Joseph, and Jeff: Absolutely, there remains overwhelming evidence that the carrying capacity of forestland is limited. As with any population, the competition for survival is limited by the population of it’s inhabitants. Forest land is no different. Trees complete for sunlight, nutrients, and water 💦. Only the most successful will survive. For there remain many factors that limit growth and contribute to mortality. As Natural Resource Professionals who seek to interact on the behalf of the forests, we need to observe, examine, and record the factors that contribute to mortality on any given growing site. It’s with this understanding, that we become better equipped to follow the facts, the science in a manner that reflects a natural system that strives for the capacity to live. Ron Rommel, Forester & Author

"There is now strong consensus among scientists, land managers, and environmentalists about two things: our forests are overly dense, and they are dying because of it." — Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund Poignant words regarding forests across much of the western United States. It may seem counterintuitive, but there can be such a thing as too many trees. Take our work on Tahoe National Forest, for example. In 2022, the North Yuba Landscape was identified as one of 10 initial high-risk landscapes nationally selected for investment as part of the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy. By implementing forest thinning treatments to reduce forest density, the NFF is working to lower catastrophic wildfire risk and improve forest health to protect communities and enhance climate change resiliency. Read more about the issues forests face and the solutions needed to address them that are being implemented by organizations like NFF and our partners in the op-ed written by Amy Berry, here: https://lnkd.in/gi2XSm77

The Climate Resilience Grant Program (CRGP) offers grants of up to $50,000 to non-profit 501(c)(3) conservation and community organizations, municipalities, tribal entities and local and state agencies for projects that contribute to a world where people and nature can thrive. The goal of the program is to support partners in protecting the lands and waters critical for adapting to climate change. TNC has resources to support the conservation of climate resilient lands. As climate change drives ecosystem instability, plants and animals are shifting their ranges northward. TNC’s interactive Resilient Land Mapping Tool identifies the representative, climate-resilient sites needed to sustain biodiversity and ecological functions into the future. This road map of “core forests and connectors” shows where plant and animal species have the best chance to move away from growing climate threats and find new places to call home. Protecting and sustaining these lands collaboratively is critical for a climate resilient future. TNC has also mapped areas that are important for reducing flood impacts and making floodplain and shoreline habitats more resilient for the future. Floodplains, wetlands, beaches, dunes, and bluffs provide multiple benefits such as flood mitigation, aquatic and terrestrial migration corridors, carbon storage and sequestration, habitat provision, improved water quality, sediment transport, and groundwater recharge.Call 516.410.4895, or email getfunded@christine-taylor.com for a free fee quote to have us write your entire proposal, or edit your draft, for a reasonable flat fee. https://lnkd.in/ehZ--tvG Bev Browning Holly Rustick

Did you know? Surfrider just launched our Climate Action Program, which supports our chapters in their efforts to restore our ocean and coasts, employing nature-based solutions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. 💪🌊 Check out Héctor Varela-Vélez (@hectortitovarela), our Puerto Rico Community Organizer, who is spearheading mangrove restoration efforts across the island. In addition to sequestering carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, mangroves offer many other incredible benefits: 🌱Mangroves are coastal defenders. As natural barriers, their roots and trunks dissipate the energy from severe storms, reducing the erosion on our beaches. 🌱Mangroves support biodiversity along our coastlines. As a safe haven for fish, crustaceans, monkeys, crocodiles, and birds, mangroves support intricate food chains. 🌱Mangroves act as nature’s water purifier. Their roots filter and absorb pollutants, effectively maintaining water quality and promoting a healthier marine ecosystem. Click below to donate now and support our Climate Action Program, so we can create more incredible projects like this one to protect our beaches. https://hubs.la/Q02t3ktq0

Last week I stood next to the Klamath River as water was released from the Iron Gate Dam reservoir in preparation for dam removal. This historic moment was more than two decades in the making and is part of the country's biggest dam removal and river restoration project. Building on this momentum, next week American Rivers will discuss how we can work together to remove 30,000 dams by 2050. The impacts of climate change, dams, and habitat fragmentation have created a crisis in the decline of freshwater species and threaten the health and safety of communities. By expanding dam removal work nationwide, we can work together to address the climate crisis through river restoration. https://lnkd.in/dKMjMVWu

Times are a-changing! Elements like fire, climate change, and increased visitor use accelerate infrastructure degradation and increase maintenance needs on our forest lands. More than 260 deferred maintenance projects have been completed across our national forests and hundreds more are in progress thanks to the Legacy Restoration Fund. Once completed, these projects will address more than $842 million in backlog maintenance across the National Forest System, but more than $8.6 billion in deferred maintenance will remain. The hard work remains but our commitment will never waiver! #NationalInfrastructureWeek

For Florida Corals, Unprecedented Marine Heat Prompts New Restoration Strategy—On Shore Inside Climate News 8/4/24 North America’s only barrier reef is withering from heat and disease. Can efforts to preserve and propagate the corals at land-based facilities save them? Coral reefs are crucial to marine biodiversity and serve as important buffers that protect the shorelines from the violence of storms. In the Florida Keys more than one of every two jobs are connected with the marine ecosystem, according to NOAA. “This process of adapting to a two-degree warmer temperature would normally take hundreds and hundreds of years. We need to make it happen in 10.” Nonetheless, some see the work as futile as long as the oceans continue to warm. “It’s buying time to solve the real problem, which is keeping our oceans or getting our oceans back to a state where they are viable for coral reef communities. The solution is we have to fix climate change and maintain the water quality of our oceans.”

Today, 5 June, as we celebrate The World Environment Day, it is important that we once again reflect on the need to protect our planet. The theme for this year's celebration focuses on the critical issues of land restoration, combating desertification, and building resilience against drought. This emphasizes the pressing environmental challenges we face and the necessity of taking decisive action to address them. #Worldenvironmentalday #desertification

This Native American Heritage Month, Urban celebrates the rich history, customs, contributions, and resilience of Native Americans across the country. Follow along all month as we share what we’re learning about what it takes to ensure tribal communities have the opportunity and power to thrive. That includes many Native American families who, for instance, have been persevering on the front lines of the climate crisis. What’s the solution? Learn how a few tribes are tackling different climate challenges and ways that more flexible federal funding could help. https://urbn.is/479mvs8 Also, watch what Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, Urban experts and other speakers have to say about what it will take for rural and Native communities to build resilience to drought, floods, wildfires, and other climate disasters. https://urbn.is/3FI4ANS

On this World Environment Day, let's unite in the global effort to restore our land, combat desertification, and build resilience against drought. 🌱 As we observe the theme "Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience," it's a call to action for each of us to contribute to #GenerationRestoration. By participating in local initiatives, supporting policies that protect our environment, and educating others, we can make a significant impact. Together, we can work towards a sustainable future where our land thrives and supports us all. 🌍 Let's pledge to be the change we wish to see in the world, not just for ourselves, but for future generations to come. #WorldEnvironmentDay