Richmond forest restoration project aims to counter climate change
RICHMOND, R.I. (WLNE) — The Department of Environmental Management said that it will begin a forest health improvement project for a 45-acre parcel in Richmond.
The DEM said that the goal of the project is to “future-proof” the forest on the south side of Old Mountain Road in the Hillsdale/deCoppett Preserve to be better adapted to the state’s hotter and drier future.
The project will start on Aug. 21 and will involve harvesting dead oak trees that were killed by repeated insect defoliations and drought as well as the planting of trees and seeds of native species.
The department added that no clear-cutting will take place and that at the end of the project there will be a stand of well-formed trees.
The project is a partnership with the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change network, an organization researching long-term ecosystem responses to climate change.
