Climate change impacts and adaptation in forestry: responses by trees and markets.

Abstract

The forest sector-forestry and forest industries-plays an important role in the global climate change debate. The sector influences the global carbon cycle through the sequestration of atmospheric carbon in forests and is in turn influenced by global climate change through its impacts on the rates of forest growth and climate-induced changes in natural disturbances such as fire. Similar to agriculture, the effects of climate variability and change on forests and forest industries were examined in the US National Assessment (Joyce et al., 2001). Climate change may alter the productivity of forests, shifting resource management, economic processes of adaptation, and ultimately forest product harvests both nationally and regionally. In regions where climate change reduces timber growth, smaller timber volumes will be available for harvest in both existing forest stands and in those regenerated in the future. The reverse would be true in regions experiencing increased timber growth.

Citation

Alig, Ralph; Adams, Darius; Joyce, Linda; Sohngen, Brent. 2004. Climate change impacts and adaptation in forestry: responses by trees and markets. Third Quarter. 19(3): 1-7