Forest vulnerability assessments—integrating social and ecological indicators and scores

Abstract

This guide builds on existing frameworks to link ecological and socio-economic vulnerability. Vulnerability assessments use spatially explicit ecological and economic data to describe the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of forest resources and local communities to potential hazards. This work describes ways to measure each aspect of vulnerability and ways to aggregate data that makes for more straightforward analysis. Knowledge about the relative vulnerability of natural resources and the communities that depend on them can help prioritize and inform management and guide adaptation strategies. In the context of national forest management, vulnerability results can inform land management planning (e.g., assessments, public communication, plan objectives), as well as landscape or project-level decisions (e.g., forest restoration, allotment management plans), to increase the resiliency of national forests and grasslands. Examples in this guide focus on climate change, but the framework can be applied to other hazards such as insects, disease, invasive species, and drought.

Citation

Elmer, Matt; Miller, Chris; Reeves, Matt; Warziniack, Travis. 2023. Forest vulnerability assessments—integrating social and ecological indicators and scores. Res. Note RMRS-RN-96. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 40 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-RN-96.