Jansen and his colleagues at the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians have planted thousands of trees since the tribe purchased the property in 2013, transforming it into a small-scale experiment in girding northern forests against climate change.
Along with the shagbark and silver maple, there’s black walnut commonly found in southern Michigan, sassafras and swamp white oak that typically ranges only as far north as mid-Michigan, and a host of other species about 30 in all that Jansen hopes will become the feedstock for a diverse, climate-resilient forest. Clint Boulton, left, and Traven Michaels plant a seedling on Friday, April 30. Staff and volunteers from the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians planted more than 200 seedlings at a farm west of Carp Lake as part of an effort to prepare the property for climate change. (Bridge photo by John Russell)