A climate resilience guide for small forest landowners in Western Washington

Abstract

Landowners value and care for their forests for reasons that include improved wildlife habitat, aesthetics, recreation, and timber. In Washington, 15% of forested lands are owned by small forest landowners (2-2500 acres). As such, the management decisions of small forest landowners can have implications for all of Washington's forests. Understanding the impacts of climate change can help small forest landowners make management decisions that build climate resilience on their lands and throughout Northwest forests. To assist landowners in making climate-smart management decisions, the Climate Resilience Guide for Small Forest Landowners describes climate impacts on forests and potential management actions that landowners can take to increase resilience to climate change on their land. The guide is geared towards small forest landowners in western Washington and organizations such as nonprofits, local and state governments, and conservation districts that support landowners in managing small forests.

Citation

Raymond, Crystal; Morgan, Harriet; Peterson, David L.; Halofsky, Jessica. 2022. A climate resilience guide for small forest landowners in Western Washington. Climate Impacts Group; University of Washington, Earthlab; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northwest Climate Hub. 31p. Online: https://cig.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/SmallForestLandowner-Guide-RedSize.pdf