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In collaboration with the Climate Change Coalition of Door County and the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, The Ridges Sanctuary is conducting a Boreal Climate Survivability Project, a research initiative that aims to accelerate the success of reforestation in Door County, Wisconsin – an effort with global ecosystem resiliency implications. As climate predictability changes, analyzing survivability patterns in newly planted trees will provide important insight into how restored forested ecosystems change over time and what benefits they provide.

This project addresses the need to initiate, execute, collect data and share findings on community tree planting projects and resilient restoration strategies. It also seeks to answer fundamental questions relating to Door County’s ecosystem health:  

• What changes will occur in Door County, WI forests as climate change occurs?  

• Which tree species will best tolerate climate change, and which will not?  

• Will Door County, WI lower boreal forest’s boundary move north due to the effect of climate change?  

• What will be the larger environmental impact?  

• As conservation leaders and concerned community members, how should we respond? 

The Boreal Climate Survivability Project takes advantage of the ecology and environmental research culture in Door County. Five half-acre test plots have been planted on land owned and conserved by The Ridges Sanctuary, each with a respective control group. These sites, (two southern boreal, two temperate mesic dry upland, and one temperate mesic wet lowland) were chosen to represent different forested ecosystems found in the Door Peninsula. Across five plots, volunteers from the Climate Change Coalition and The Ridges Sanctuary planted 2,790 trees from a variety of species native to Wisconsin. These trees will be tracked for the foreseeable future to monitor which species have the best survivability rates and monitor how growing conditions and ecosystems characteristics change. Since the beginning of this project, volunteers have contributed over 950 hours to planting, monitoring, and maintaining five plots, making this project a reality.

Tree Planting on Appels Bluff, video by Jeff Lutsey

Plot 1, on the Appels Bluff property, is a disturbed site within Baileys Harbor southern boreal forest. It sits on the edge of old Lake Michigan shoreline and has disturbed, rocky topsoil caused by human disturbance. This site will provide insight into what kind of benefits or challenges reforestation has in disturbed sites in the southern boreal forest range. A variety of native trees of Wisconsin were planted, including red pine, white pine, white spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch, sugar maple, red oak, bur oak, swamp white oak, white cedar, black cherry, balsam poplar, and hemlock. Our goal is to study which species are tolerant of climate change impacts in Door County southern boreal forests, in addition to what impacts this will have on ecosystems over time.  

Plot 2, at the Family Discovery Trail property, serves as an example of a partially forested meadow boreal reforestation site. The Family Discovery Trail is designed to help children and families connect more deeply with nature. It features interactive discovery stations that encourage children to play, explore, imagine, ask questions, and seek knowledge about the environment around them. As one of our boreal reforestation plots, we planted a variety of native trees of Wisconsin. This again included a selection of native tree species more common in southern Wisconsin counties. Our goal is to study which species tolerate ecological shifts as climate change impacts our existing boreal forests, in addition to what impacts this will have on our ecosystem. This will provide insight into reforestation plantings in meadows and forested ecosystems in Door County. 

Plot 3, located at Logan Creek, was a fallow field, but is now a thriving meadow. It provides important habitat for many species, such as the eastern blue bird, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, or the black-throated green warbler. As one of our temperate-mesic reforestation plots, we planted a selection of temperate-tolerant species native to Wisconsin. These trees include red pine, white pine, yellow birch, sugar maple, red oak, bur oak, swamp white oak, black cherry, basswood, shagbark hickory, and American elm. Within this variety of species, we are tracking ecotype variations from different Wisconsin counties to test if certain ecotypes prosper over time. These are ecotypes from Brown, Washington, Door, and Vilas County.   

Plot 4, located at Logan Creek, is in an upland forest, along a subterranean dolomite ledge above Clark Lake and the Logan Creek watershed. Here we have observed a decline in our native beech and ash trees due to impacts of invasive species like the emerald ash borer or beech bark disease. As one of our temperate-mesic reforestation plots, we planted a selection of temperate-hardwood species native to Wisconsin, tracking ecotype survivability from the original seed-stock county. Our goal is to study how other Wisconsin native ecotypes tolerate changing environmental conditions. By incorporating species that are tolerant of anticipated environmental changes, we provide a new understory and seed bank for a beloved section of our Logan Creek property. 

Plot 5, located at Logan Creek, is the lowland forest along Clark Lake, dense with eastern hemlock, white cedar, sugar maple and white birch. At this site we anticipate a decline in our native hemlock trees due to impacts of invasive insect species like the hemlock wooly adelgid. Additionally, we see white birch slowly aging out of this area of Logan Creek, without many young white birch to fill canopy gaps. As one of our temperate-mesic reforestation plots, we planted a selection of temperate-tolerant species native to Wisconsin that show resilience against invasive species and add further genetic diversity to the site.

Total Tree Species List: 

• Red Pine 
• White Pine 
• White Spruce 
• Sugar Maple 
• Red Oak 
• Bur Oak 
• Swamp White Oak 
• Black Cherry 
• Shagbark Hickory 
• American Elm 
• Yellow Birch 
• Basswood 
• American Elm 
• White Cedar 
• Balsam Poplar 
• Hemlock

The Boreal Climate Survivability Project represents more than just a local reforestation effort—it’s a model for global ecological resilience in the face of climate change. By studying how young trees adapt to shifting environmental conditions, we not only restore landscapes at The Ridges, but also contribute valuable data to the broader scientific and conservation communities. We invite you to learn more through Jeff Lutsey’s article in our Spring 2025 Sanctuary Newsletter.

Join us as we explore how thoughtful, science-driven restoration can help shape a more sustainable future for Door County and beyond. For more information or to get involved as a volunteer, please contact Applied Research Ecologist Victoria Holderer at victoria@ridgessanctuary.org