Lessons from the Land: A New Approach to Use Site-Level Information to Guide Climate Adaptation
| Authors: | Stephen Handler, Bradley M. Hutnik, Ashlee Lehner, Matt Huseby, Harvey Tjader |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Type: | Proceedings - Paper |
| Station: | Northern Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-P-211-paper56 |
| Source: | In: Kern, Christel C.; Dickinson, Yvette L., eds. Proceedings of the first biennial Northern Hardwood Conference 2021: Bridging science and management for the future. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-211. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 265-270. |
Abstract
Foresters and other natural resource professionals are increasingly aware of the anticipated effects of climate change and adaptive management options at both the regional and local scale. Even as we gain more information about the potential impacts of climate change, however, there remain several challenges for translating large-scale and long-term climate change projections into practical action. Climate change projections and vulnerability assessments often deal with large spatial scales and general expectations. Forest managers are challenged to decide how best to apply this broad information at the stand level, where many forest management decisions are made. Among the many potential actions that could help adapt to climate change, some management actions may conflict with others, may not be applicable across forest cover types, or may not be applicable to a specific site.