4. If you want a single “answer” for how
to respond to climate change, it’s:
“It depends”
It depends on where you are working
and what you’re trying to achieve.
6. 6 Ecoregional Projects
246 Million Acres
14 National Forests
75+ Partners
(Federal, State, Tribal, Private)
Northwoods
64 million acres
Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan
Central
Hardwoods
42 million
acres
Missouri,
Illinois, Indiana
Central Appalachians
28 million acres
Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland
New England
52 million acres
New York, Vermont, New
Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island
Mid-Atlantic
60 million acres
Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Delaware,
New Jersey, New
York
Urban
Chicago
forestadaptation.orgClimate-Informed Conservation & Management
Climate Change Response Framework
7. Forest Adaptation Resources
Designed for a variety of land
owners with diverse goals
and objectives
Tailored to eastern forest
types; update coming soon
Does not make
recommendations
Menu of adaptation
strategies and approaches
for forest ecosystems
New online tool!
adaptationworkbook.org
8. Forest Adaptation Resources
Adaptation Workbook
Process for integrating climate
change into management &
conservation projects
Designed for a variety of natural
resource managers (public,
private, tribal, NGO, …
Tailored to eastern forest types
Print/excel/word versions
NEW online version!
www.forestadaptation.org/far ; Contact mjanowiak02@fs.fed.us to use online tool
11. Caroline Lake Preserve
Owned by The Nature Conservancy
About 1,000 acres of forest
Acquired from industrial ownership in 1997
Working forest to demonstrate sustainable forestry practices
12. 1
2
34
5 Step 1: DEFINE area of interest, management goals
and objectives, and time frames.
Conservation Goals & Objectives:
Maintain/restore forests that were
historically characteristic of the area
Mid-to-late successional structure
Natural disturbances
Under-represented species
Northern Hardwoods (643 acres)
Lowland Conifer (259 acres)
Lowland Hardwoods (78 acres)
Shoreline Buffer (<5 acres)
Upland Conifer (<5 acres)
13. 1
2
34
5 Step 2: ASSESS climate change impacts and
vulnerabilities for the area of interest.
Altered precipitation & drier summers
Property is at headwaters of Bad River
and contains numerous wetlands– very
vulnerable to hydrologic change
Projected declines in many common
northern species
Property contains many species
expected to decline
Site has high species diversity
compared to nearby forests
14. 1
2
34
5 Step 3: EVALUATE management objectives given
projected impacts and vulnerabilities.
Challenges
Under-represented species
may not do better in future:
yellow birch, hemlock
Lowland conifer/hardwood
forests are not managed
• Declining boreal conifers
• Potential EAB in ash swamps
Deer herbivory could increase
Proportion of Stand Composed of
Species Projected to Decrease
15. 1
2
34
5 Step 3: EVALUATE management objectives given
projected impacts and vulnerabilities.
Challenges Opportunities
Some species (white pine
and red oak) may fare
same or better in future
Small- or medium-sized
disturbances increase
structure
Unique site and location
may offer opportunities for
refugia
Under-represented species
may not do better in future:
yellow birch, hemlock
Lowland conifer/hardwood
forests are not managed
• Declining boreal conifers
• Potential EAB in ash swamps
Deer herbivory could increase
16. 1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
Evaluating Current Management Actions
Practice Current Purpose Adaptation Co-Benefits
Favor under-
represented
species
Species/structural
diversity; habitats
Hedge against decline of one
species; opportunity to favor
future-adapted species
Encourage
large woody
debris
Structural diversity;
habitats; nutrients
Create moister and cooler
conditions on forest floor
Mimic
natural
disturbances
Species/structural
diversity; accelerate
succession
Makes it easier to take
advantage of natural
disturbances
17. 1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
Northern Hardwoods – Easy Changes
Forest Current Action Adaptation Action
Northern
Hardwoods
Use single-tree or group
selection methods to
maintain species
composition/diversity
and increase structural
diversity
Same, plus:
Use large group selection or
shelterwood harvests to increase
northern red oak
Promote white pine, black cherry,
yellow birch, and other desirable
species that are less likely to
decline
Shoreline
Buffer
No harvest reserve area Where opportunities exist,
promote white pine or other long-
lived conifer component for
diversity/shoreline shading
18. 1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
Northern Hardwoods – Bigger Change
Forest Current Action Adaptation Action
Lowland
Hardwoods
No harvest reserve
area
No harvest reserve area, BUT:
If regeneration is inadequate or emerald
ash borer mortality appears likely,
consider introduction of plantings of
swamp white oak, bur oak, etc.
19. 1
2
34
5 Step 5: MONITOR and evaluate effectiveness of
implemented actions.
Climate-informed Forest Inventory
Traditional Metrics New Risk Metrics
Total Stocking
Tree Species Diversity
• Richness
• Evenness
Large Coarse Woody Debris
Regeneration
• Saplings
• Seedlings
Risk of Decline
• Trees
• Saplings
• Seedlings
24. Uncertainty is guaranteed.
Management will be most effective if it integrates
uncertainty, rather than pushing against it.
There is not a shiny new tool for climate change.
Rather, we have the same old tools but will need to
use them in new ways.
Final thoughts
25. Next time you’re in the woods
Take a look around & think about:
What’s important here?
How might it change?
What am I already doing to help?
What else can I do to help?
www.forestadaptation.org
27. 1
2
34
5 Step 1: DEFINE area of interest, management goals
and objectives, and time frames.
Management Goals & Objectives
Early-successional habitat
Scenic Integrity
28. Impacts: Potentially drier growing season conditions
1
2
34
5 Step 2: ASSESS climate change impacts and
vulnerabilities for the area of interest.
29. Challenges
Aspen in long-term
Few tree species
Productivity issues
Hazel competition
Windthrow
1
2
34
5 Step 3: EVALUATE management objectives given
projected impacts and vulnerabilities.
Opportunities
Site suitable for
pine in future?
30. 1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
Overall Approach: Enhance future options
within existing management trajectory
Aspen will regenerate now, but is likely to fare
poorly over the long term.
Maintain plans for clearcut for aspen regeneration
Additional actions to promote diversity and provide
future options: plant red oak and white pine
Pro-active on invasives and disturbance planning
31. Post clearcut stocking*
Survival of planted trees*
Species composition for
trees* and seedlings/saplings
Intensified inventory (?)
*existing monitoring item
1
2
34
5 Step 5: MONITOR and evaluate effectiveness of
implemented actions.
34. Management Goals
Sustainable forestry
Conservation
1
2
34
5 Step 1: DEFINE area of interest, management goals
and objectives, and time frames.
35. Current Management with
Adaptation Benefits
Follow BMPs for water
quality
Increase coarse woody
material
Increase tree species
diversity
Increase forest structural
diversity
Ensure adequate seedling
regeneration
Control invasives
Minimize roads & trails
37. Potential Barriers:
More planning
Higher cost
Will it even work??
Adaptation Tactic: Summer harvest
1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
38. Spring/Early Summer 2014
• Timber marking
• Road layout
• Pre-sale road work
• Temporary bridge installation
Currently being harvested
(weather permitting!)
1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
39. Rutting from a bad woods road (past management)
1
2
34
5 Step 5: MONITOR and evaluate effectiveness of
implemented actions.
Editor's Notes
If you want a single answer…..”it depends”….
Well bummer right? I’m sure many of you were hoping for a perfect premeditated guidebook particular for your program and focus areas at APHIS. Sorry!
Much like this desire, we’re faced with the facts. There isn’t a one-sized-fits-all answer for responding to climate change, because it really does depend on where you are working, and what you are trying to achieve, these are the differences that make us distinct from each other.
Your goals likely differ greatly from even your counterpart in another region. Regional differences matter, especially if it’s the difference between a region likely to experience drought (like the west), and a region projected to become wetter (like the east).
What do we do? We work with natural resource professionals and forest owners to integrate climate change into their work. We work with National Forests, federal agencies (such as NPS and BIA), state agencies, local governments, tribes, conservation organizations, and individual family forest owners.
The Framework began as a pilot project in 2009 in N. Wi with the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, since then we’ve grown to 6 ecoregional projects across 19 states and 14 national forests!
As I mentioned previously the Framework is the applied tier of our climate projects at NIACS, where managers are put adaptation to practice using their lands, goals and objectives. Our approach is designed to provide important information about the interactions of climate change and forests, while also providing resources, tools and support that a manager may need when considering climate informed conservation for themselves.
Rapidly growing… hard to keep a current list…
The first step of the Adaptation Workbook is … [read slide]
In this step, we are honing in on the specific place and management goals/objectives for that place. This information is generally provided in forest plans or other documents.
Building a network of adaptation demonstration projects across the eastern US.
Diversity of forest types, organizations and landowners, mgmt goals
ALSO – designed to help foresters learn by doing, provide an opportunity to learn from your neighbors.
What is a demonstration project?????
What ties all these examples together? They all used the adaptation workbook – common thought process, many different outcomes.
Building a network of adaptation demonstration projects across the eastern US.
Diversity of forest types, organizations and landowners, mgmt goals
ALSO – designed to help foresters learn by doing, provide an opportunity to learn from your neighbors.
What is a demonstration project?????
What ties all these examples together? They all used the adaptation workbook – common thought process, many different outcomes.
Building a network of adaptation demonstration projects across the eastern US.
Diversity of forest types, organizations and landowners, mgmt goals
ALSO – designed to help foresters learn by doing, provide an opportunity to learn from your neighbors.
What is a demonstration project?????
What ties all these examples together? They all used the adaptation workbook – common thought process, many different outcomes.
Building a network of adaptation demonstration projects across the eastern US.
Diversity of forest types, organizations and landowners, mgmt goals
ALSO – designed to help foresters learn by doing, provide an opportunity to learn from your neighbors.
What is a demonstration project?????
What ties all these examples together? They all used the adaptation workbook – common thought process, many different outcomes.
The first step of the Adaptation Workbook is … [read slide]
In this step, we are honing in on the specific place and management goals/objectives for that place. This information is generally provided in forest plans or other documents.
The first step of the Adaptation Workbook is … [read slide]
In this step, we are honing in on the specific place and management goals/objectives for that place. This information is generally provided in forest plans or other documents.
The first step of the Adaptation Workbook is … [read slide]
In this step, we are honing in on the specific place and management goals/objectives for that place. This information is generally provided in forest plans or other documents.