URI involvement in the USDA Climate Hub

URI is one of 14 land grant universities participating in the Northeast Climate Hub of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which delivers science-based knowledge and practical information to farmers and forest managers about adapting to Climate Change. URI shares information about climate adaptation approaches with landowners through various outreach events, and collaborates with Hub members in the development of new adaptation approaches.

URI collaborated with the USDA Climate Hub in offering a training at URI in 2015 on how to manage our forests to adapt to a changing climate.  In preparation for this workshop, URI participated in two related USDA conferences held in Connecticut and Illinois.  To learn more about this subject, you can visit the Northern Forests Climate Hub website by clicking here.  You can also download a 2016 Forest Service Report on this subject by clicking here.

To see a short URI briefing paper on how climate change is expected to affect specific forest tree species in Rhode Island, click here.

In 2016 URI worked with representatives of the USDA Climate Hub to prepare a “virtual tour” of the URI agronomy farm using 360 degree photography. The virtual tour describes ongoing URI outreach programs to help farmers adapt to climate change, with a focus on cover crops, use of high tunnels, crop insurance.  It also includes video interviews from three URI faculty and staff:   Rebecca Brown, Andy Radin and Peggy Siligato.  To take the virtual tour, click here.

To see a 2015 URI case study on the benefits of high tunnels, click here.

To see a 2019 URI factsheet on the benefits of summer cover crops, click here.

For more information about the agriculture programs of USDA Climate Hubs, click here.