Climate change, forests, and the forest nursery industry

Abstract

The devastating consequences of Hurricane Katrina demonstrate how ill-prepared people are when it comes to extreme weather events and potential changes in climate. The hurricane itself cannot be directly ascribed to climate change, but the likelihood of stronger hurricanes can be. The more energy the atmosphere has as it warms because of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses, the more energy it needs to shuffle around. Hurricanes are one way of doing just that. The potential risks from just such an event had been described in the region's major daily paper, yet the response to the hurricane seems to indicate that little action had been taken to get ready. The lessons of the event must be taken seriously by all sectors of society because climate change is a certainty, is now well underway, and will impact us all (Fischlin and others 2007).

Parent Publication

• National Proceedings: Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations-2007

Citation

Hebda, Richard Joseph. 2008. Climate change, forests, and the forest nursery industry. In: Dumroese, R. K.; Riley, L. E., tech. coords. National Proceedings: Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations-2007. Proc. RMRS-P-57. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 81-87