This document discusses approaches for adapting forests to climate change. It provides an overview of the Forest Adaptation Resources project which involves 6 ecoregional projects across 246 million acres and 14 national forests. The project uses an adaptation workbook process to help natural resource managers integrate climate change into their management and conservation projects. The process involves defining goals and impacts, assessing vulnerabilities, evaluating objectives, identifying adaptation approaches, and monitoring effectiveness. Examples are provided of projects using the process, including managing aspen stands on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and conducting a summer timber harvest for Atlas Timberlands due to a shorter winter season.

1. www.forestadaptation.org
Maria Janowiak, mjanowiak02@fs.fed.us
ADAPTING FORESTS TO
CLIMATE CHANGE
Approaches for Action

2. How do we respond?

3. Responding to Climate Change

4. If you want a single “answer” for how
to respond to climate change, it’s:
“It depends”
It depends on where you are working
and what you’re trying to achieve.

5. Desired
ConditionsNatural Forest
Dynamics
Wildlife
Habitat
Past
Management
History
Invasives Timber Sale
Revenue
Disturbance:
Past + Future
Recreation
Forest
Health
And more!! Climate
Change
Plan & Project
Requirements

6. 6 Ecoregional Projects
246 Million Acres
14 National Forests
75+ Partners
(Federal, State, Tribal, Private)
Northwoods
64 million acres
Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan
Central
Hardwoods
42 million
acres
Missouri,
Illinois, Indiana
Central Appalachians
28 million acres
Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland
New England
52 million acres
New York, Vermont, New
Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island
Mid-Atlantic
60 million acres
Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Delaware,
New Jersey, New
York
Urban
Chicago
forestadaptation.orgClimate-Informed Conservation & Management
Climate Change Response Framework

7. Forest Adaptation Resources
 Designed for a variety of land
owners with diverse goals
and objectives
 Tailored to eastern forest
types; update coming soon
 Does not make
recommendations
 Menu of adaptation
strategies and approaches
for forest ecosystems
 New online tool!
adaptationworkbook.org

8. Forest Adaptation Resources
Adaptation Workbook
 Process for integrating climate
change into management &
conservation projects
 Designed for a variety of natural
resource managers (public,
private, tribal, NGO, …
 Tailored to eastern forest types
 Print/excel/word versions
 NEW online version!
www.forestadaptation.org/far ; Contact mjanowiak02@fs.fed.us to use online tool

9. Adaptation Workbook Process
Swanston and Janowiak 2012; www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/40543

10. www.forestadaptation.org Click ‘Demonstration Projects’
Adaptation Demonstrations
(real-world examples)

11. Caroline Lake Preserve
Owned by The Nature Conservancy
 About 1,000 acres of forest
 Acquired from industrial ownership in 1997
 Working forest to demonstrate sustainable forestry practices

12. 1
2
34
5 Step 1: DEFINE area of interest, management goals
and objectives, and time frames.
Conservation Goals & Objectives:
Maintain/restore forests that were
historically characteristic of the area
 Mid-to-late successional structure
 Natural disturbances
 Under-represented species
Northern Hardwoods (643 acres)
Lowland Conifer (259 acres)
Lowland Hardwoods (78 acres)
Shoreline Buffer (<5 acres)
Upland Conifer (<5 acres)

13. 1
2
34
5 Step 2: ASSESS climate change impacts and
vulnerabilities for the area of interest.
Altered precipitation & drier summers
 Property is at headwaters of Bad River
and contains numerous wetlands– very
vulnerable to hydrologic change
Projected declines in many common
northern species
 Property contains many species
expected to decline
 Site has high species diversity
compared to nearby forests

14. 1
2
34
5 Step 3: EVALUATE management objectives given
projected impacts and vulnerabilities.
Challenges
 Under-represented species
may not do better in future:
yellow birch, hemlock
 Lowland conifer/hardwood
forests are not managed
• Declining boreal conifers
• Potential EAB in ash swamps
 Deer herbivory could increase
Proportion of Stand Composed of
Species Projected to Decrease

15. 1
2
34
5 Step 3: EVALUATE management objectives given
projected impacts and vulnerabilities.
Challenges Opportunities
 Some species (white pine
and red oak) may fare
same or better in future
 Small- or medium-sized
disturbances increase
structure
 Unique site and location
may offer opportunities for
refugia
 Under-represented species
may not do better in future:
yellow birch, hemlock
 Lowland conifer/hardwood
forests are not managed
• Declining boreal conifers
• Potential EAB in ash swamps
 Deer herbivory could increase

16. 1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
Evaluating Current Management Actions
Practice Current Purpose Adaptation Co-Benefits
Favor under-
represented
species
Species/structural
diversity; habitats
Hedge against decline of one
species; opportunity to favor
future-adapted species
Encourage
large woody
debris
Structural diversity;
habitats; nutrients
Create moister and cooler
conditions on forest floor
Mimic
natural
disturbances
Species/structural
diversity; accelerate
succession
Makes it easier to take
advantage of natural
disturbances

17. 1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
Northern Hardwoods – Easy Changes
Forest Current Action Adaptation Action
Northern
Hardwoods
Use single-tree or group
selection methods to
maintain species
composition/diversity
and increase structural
diversity
 Same, plus:
 Use large group selection or
shelterwood harvests to increase
northern red oak
 Promote white pine, black cherry,
yellow birch, and other desirable
species that are less likely to
decline
Shoreline
Buffer
No harvest reserve area  Where opportunities exist,
promote white pine or other long-
lived conifer component for
diversity/shoreline shading

18. 1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
Northern Hardwoods – Bigger Change
Forest Current Action Adaptation Action
Lowland
Hardwoods
No harvest reserve
area
 No harvest reserve area, BUT:
 If regeneration is inadequate or emerald
ash borer mortality appears likely,
consider introduction of plantings of
swamp white oak, bur oak, etc.

19. 1
2
34
5 Step 5: MONITOR and evaluate effectiveness of
implemented actions.
Climate-informed Forest Inventory
Traditional Metrics New Risk Metrics
 Total Stocking
 Tree Species Diversity
• Richness
• Evenness
 Large Coarse Woody Debris
 Regeneration
• Saplings
• Seedlings
 Risk of Decline
• Trees
• Saplings
• Seedlings

20. Adaptation Demonstrations
www.forestadaptation.org Click ‘Demonstration Projects’
Atlas Timberlands
What does it take to do a
timber harvest given shorter
winter seasons?

21. Adaptation Demonstrations
www.forestadaptation.org Click ‘Demonstration Projects’
Cold Hollow to Canada
 Build on existing conservation
work of private landowners
 Improve songbird habitat

22. Adaptation Demonstrations
www.forestadaptation.org Click ‘Demonstration Projects’
Providence Water
Is regeneration failure and
opportunity to test new species
and genotypes?

23. Adaptation Demonstrations
www.forestadaptation.org Click ‘Demonstration Projects’
Hudson to Housatonic
How to we engage rural-urban
landowners in climate-informed
stewardship?

24. Uncertainty is guaranteed.
Management will be most effective if it integrates
uncertainty, rather than pushing against it.
There is not a shiny new tool for climate change.
Rather, we have the same old tools but will need to
use them in new ways.
Final thoughts

25. Next time you’re in the woods
Take a look around & think about:
What’s important here?
How might it change?
What am I already doing to help?
What else can I do to help?
www.forestadaptation.org

26. Chequamegon-Nicolet NF: Aspen

27. 1
2
34
5 Step 1: DEFINE area of interest, management goals
and objectives, and time frames.
Management Goals & Objectives
 Early-successional habitat
 Scenic Integrity

28. Impacts: Potentially drier growing season conditions
1
2
34
5 Step 2: ASSESS climate change impacts and
vulnerabilities for the area of interest.

29. Challenges
 Aspen in long-term
 Few tree species
 Productivity issues
 Hazel competition
 Windthrow
1
2
34
5 Step 3: EVALUATE management objectives given
projected impacts and vulnerabilities.
Opportunities
 Site suitable for
pine in future?

30. 1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.
Overall Approach: Enhance future options
within existing management trajectory
 Aspen will regenerate now, but is likely to fare
poorly over the long term.
 Maintain plans for clearcut for aspen regeneration
 Additional actions to promote diversity and provide
future options: plant red oak and white pine
 Pro-active on invasives and disturbance planning

31.  Post clearcut stocking*
 Survival of planted trees*
 Species composition for
trees* and seedlings/saplings
 Intensified inventory (?)
*existing monitoring item
1
2
34
5 Step 5: MONITOR and evaluate effectiveness of
implemented actions.

32. Chequamegon-Nicolet Aspen: Status
• Stands are marked
• Winter harvest –this winter
• Then: underplant native
future-adapted species

33. Atlas Timberlands

34. Management Goals
 Sustainable forestry
 Conservation
1
2
34
5 Step 1: DEFINE area of interest, management goals
and objectives, and time frames.

35. Current Management with
Adaptation Benefits
 Follow BMPs for water
quality
 Increase coarse woody
material
 Increase tree species
diversity
 Increase forest structural
diversity
 Ensure adequate seedling
regeneration
 Control invasives
 Minimize roads & trails

36. Challenge: Shorter and more variable winter
1
2
34
5 Step 2: ASSESS climate change impacts
Step 3: EVALUATE management objectives

37. Potential Barriers:
 More planning
 Higher cost
 Will it even work??
Adaptation Tactic: Summer harvest
1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.

38. Spring/Early Summer 2014
• Timber marking
• Road layout
• Pre-sale road work
• Temporary bridge installation
Currently being harvested
(weather permitting!)
1
2
34
5 Step 4: IDENTIFY and adaptation approaches and
tactics for implementation.

39. Rutting from a bad woods road (past management)
1
2
34
5 Step 5: MONITOR and evaluate effectiveness of
implemented actions.