Humans have impacted huge amounts of our planet. Applied ecology examines and addresses the ecological challenges, and solutions. We trace, analyze, and calibrate. We seek solutions to restore—and sustain—world biomes. Beyond the temperate, deciduous forested systems that surround us in the Lake Superior region, we explore the interactions of climate, plant functional groups, and carbon cycling in peatlands. We study glacial retreat, wetland and lakeshore vegetation—and employ networks of forest, rural, and urban landscapes around the globe as laboratories for integrative research. We model nitrous oxide, track carbon cycling, and dig deep to understand and mitigate critical climate-changing interactions between communities and their landscapes.