Ecologist encourages action, hope in the BWCA amid climate change

Sam Reed, an ecologist with the Friends of the Boundary Waters, hopes to engage residents in preparing for the future impacts of climate change in the Boundary Waters.

The Superior National Forest is home to one of the few boreal forests in the United States outside of Alaska, and its ecosystem is expected to undergo significant changes as the climate continues to warm.

Reed will host a community event Wednesday, July 8, at Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters focused on helping residents understand and prepare for those changes.

“We’re really focused on helping northern communities adapt to climate change, and we’re going to be talking about that,” Reed told WTIP, “and some of the people that we’ve met with, and some of the work that we’re up to as well.”

Reed is leading a project to compile climate research conducted in northern Minnesota — roughly 900 papers — into a publicly accessible website. The goal is to make scientific information easier for residents, landowners and communities to use.

“That’s the thing — the science is kind of impenetrable sometimes. So we want to lower that barrier to entry,” Reed said.

Conversations about climate adaptation have been taking place for decades, but Reed said growing evidence of climate change is bringing the topic to the forefront.

In the Boundary Waters region, changes are expected to affect species adapted to cold conditions. Broadleaf trees such as oak and maple may benefit from a warmer climate, while species such as spruce and balsam fir could face increasing challenges.

Reed said climate data show Minnesota’s winters are becoming warmer, with less snowfall and more winter rain.

“I’m personally really concerned about winter recreation in northern Minnesota and people’s ability to ice fish, dog sled, snowmobile, and more,” Reed said. “I feel like it’s just such an important part of culture here.”

The impacts could extend beyond recreation. Reed said the forestry industry may also face challenges because timber harvesting is typically done in winter, when frozen ground reduces soil damage.

“It’s going to be really hard to have a healthy forestry industry up here with soils that aren’t completely freezing,” Reed said.

During the summer months, wildfires are also expected to become more frequent and more intense.

As Reed and his colleagues continue working to make climate data more accessible, they hope to help residents and apply research findings to their own properties and communities.

While conversations about climate change can be difficult, Reed said he hopes community discussions can inspire action and optimism.

“I think we have to get creative and look at how we can actually affect our own landscapes right now, and there we have tools between prescribed fire, planting trees, assisted migration, cooling lakes and rivers with trees,” Reed said.

Reed first became interested in northern forests while studying woodland ecosystems in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in college, using weather balloons and drones.

“It changed my entire life, and I came to Minnesota just to do work here, because northern Minnesota became my favorite place on earth,” Reed said. “I got my PhD at the University of Minnesota with folks like Lee Freylich and Peter Reich, who really devoted their lives to studying how northern Minnesota ecosystems might respond to climate change.”

WTIP spoke with Reed about climate adaptation, climate data and finding hope in a changing climate. Audio from that conversation is available below.

Josh Hinke July 8, 2026