Forestry and natural resource professionals are increasingly looking for information on the anticipated effects of climate change on ecosystems, as well as potential management options for responding to these changes. At the same time, the inability to know exactly what will happen in the future can create significant barriers for incorporating new information into management planning and project implementation. The Climate Change Response Framework (www.forestadaptation.org), has developed a structured approach that enables managers to integrate climate change considerations into real-world management activities. This approach, which includes the Adaptation Workbook, assists managers in creating management plans, projects, and prescriptions that enhance the ability of forests and other ecosystems to adapt, while simultaneously working to achieve the management goals associated with a particular piece of land. The Adaptation Workbook has been used by hundreds of natural resource professionals to generate site-specific adaptation actions that meet explicit management and conservation objectives. To date, more than 200 adaptation demonstration projects have been developed on public, tribal, and private lands. This presentation will provide an overview of the Adaptation Workbook and other resources that have been developed through the Framework and describe adaptation efforts that are underway. This network of projects allows us to see concerns, barriers, and opportunities common across many projects and identify characteristics of adaptation projects that are well-poised to increase the ability to adapt to future conditions. Additionally, new resources are in development that extend this approach beyond traditional forest management to new topics, including urban forestry, management of forested watershed and water resources, and carbon management.

1. Forests and Climate Change:
New Approaches for
Adaptation and Carbon Management
Maria Janowiak
Chris Swanston, Todd Ontl, Danielle Shannon,
Leslie Brandt, Patricia Butler, and Stephen Handler
NCASI Northern Meeting
May 3, 2017

2. Provides practical information,
resources, and technical assistance
related to forests and climate change
Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
Climate
Carbon
Regional multi-institutional partnership among:

3. What actions can be taken to
enhance the ability of a system to
cope with change
and
meet management
goals and objectives?

4. Forest Adaptation Resources
Adaptation Workbook

Strategies & Approaches

Menu of adaptation actions
Structured process to
integrate climate
change considerations
into management.
• Workbook approachOrder a copy at:
www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/52760 Also online: AdaptationWorkbook.org

5. Adaptation Strategies & Approaches
• Reviewed adaptation
literature
• Developed a menu of 10
strategies and 38 approaches
• Refined based on comments
from >50 reviewers
• Other topics: urban forests,
forested watersheds
Menu of adaptation actions for managers
www.adaptationworkbook.org/niacs-strategies

6. Adaptation Workbook
Adaptation Workbook provides structured process to
integrate climate change considerations into management
planning and activities
1. DEFINE location,
management goals and
objectives , and time
frames.
2. ASSESS site-specific
climate change impacts
and vulnerabilities.
3. EVALUATE
management objectives
given projected impacts
and vulnerabilities.
4. IDENTIFY and
implement adaptation
approaches and tactics .
5. MONITOR and
evaluate effectiveness
of implemented
actions.
Vulnerability
assessments,
scientific literature,
and other resources
Adaptation
Strategies and
Approaches
Janowiak et al. 2014, Swanston et al. 2016

7. Menu + Workbook
Management Goals
& Objectives
Climate Change
Impacts
Intent of Adaptation
(Option)
Make Idea Specific
(Strategy, Approach)
Action to Implement
(Tactic)
Challenges &
Opportunities
Why it’s important:
Helps connect the dots
from broad concepts to
specific actions for
implementation.
Intentionality
Success

8. www.forestadaptation.org/demos
200+
Projects
underway
Adaptation Demonstrations

9. Adaptation Demonstrations
Planning
Start up
Action
Project status
Northwoods
New England
Central Hardwoods
Urban
Central Appalachians
Mid-Atlantic
Project region
0
10
20
30
40
50
Federal State Private Tribal NGO Municipal County University
Ownership

10. Most Concerning Climate Impacts
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
Pests & pathogens
Soil moisture stress
Warmer (seasonal)
Altered precipitation (seasonal)
Extreme precipitation
Invasives
Longer growing season
Proportion
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15
Decline in northern/ boreal species
Pests & pathogens
Invasives
Longer growing season
Soil moisture stress
Extreme precipitation
Warmer (seasonal)
Proportion
Northwoods
New England

11. What actions are managers considering
for climate change adaptation?
Desired Future Condition
TIME
Climate
Change
Trajectory
?
Increasing resources
needed to meet DFC

12. What actions are managers considering
for climate change adaptation?
RESISTANCE
 Improve defenses of
forest against change
 Maintain relatively
unchanged conditions
Millar et al. 2007Millar et al. 2007, Swanston et al. 2016

13. What actions are managers considering
for climate change adaptation?
RESISTANCE RESILIENCE
 Improve defenses of
forest against change
 Maintain relatively
unchanged conditions
 Accommodate some degree
of change
 Return to prior condition
after disturbance
Millar et al. 2007Millar et al. 2007, Swanston et al. 2016

14. What actions are managers considering
for climate change adaptation?
RESISTANCE RESILIENCE TRANSITION
 Improve defenses of
forest against change
 Maintain relatively
unchanged conditions
 Accommodate some degree
of change
 Return to prior condition
after disturbance
 Facilitate change
 Enable ecosystem to
respond to new and
changing conditions
Millar et al. 2007Millar et al. 2007, Swanston et al. 2016

15. What actions are managers considering
for climate change adaptation?
RESISTANCE RESILIENCE TRANSITION
Region Resistance Resilience Transition
Northwoods 27% 43% 30%
New England 21% 46% 33%

16. Resist Change
Prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive plant
species and remove existing invasives (4)
Maintain or improve the ability of forests to resist pests and
pathogens (6)
Prudence Island Natural Heritage Unit: www.forestadaptation.org/node/723

17. Enhance Resilience
Maintain and restore diversity of
native tree species (1)
Promote diverse age classes (2)
Retain biological legacies (6)
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Nat’l Historical Park: www.forestadaptation.org/node/375

18. Enhance Resilience
Restore fire to fire-adapted ecosystems (5)
Hiawatha National Forest, Bass Boot Project: www.forestadaptation.org/node/534
Huron-Manistee National Forests Joel Trick, US FWS

19. Enhance Resilience
Maintain or restore soil quality
and nutrient cycling (8)
Atlas Timberlands: www.forestadaptation.org/atlas

20. Enhance Resilience
Maintain or restore hydrology (9)
Trout Unlimited and Partners: www.forestadaptation.org/tu-ne

21. Transition Systems
Favor or restore native species that are expected to be better
adapted to future conditions (3)
Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary: www.forestadaptation.org/norcross

22. Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC)
Multi-region silvicultural trials of climate change adaptation actions
Common Design
Treatment Themes:
Adaptation Options
Resistance
Resilience
Transition
No Action
Minimum Study
Design Elements
Replication
Stand/EU Size
Monitoring
Guidelines
Evaluation
Window
Cutfoot Experimental Forest
Nagel et al. 2017

23. Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC)
RESISTANCE RESILIENCE TRANSITION
Promote red pine:
 Free thinning
 Single-cohort
Keep red pine, increase future-
adapted species over time
 Variable-density thinning
 Plant future-adapted species
in gaps
Reduce red pine, increase
future-adapted species
Irregular shelterwood
Plant future-adapted
species in gaps
eastern white pine
jack pine
red oak
bur oak
red maple
eastern white pine
red, bur, white oak
red maple
bitternut hickory
black cherry
ponderosa pine

24. What actions can be taken to
enhance the ability of a system to
cope with change
and
meet management
goals and objectives–
including carbon?

25. So what about carbon?
1. DEFINE location,
management goals and
objectives, and time
frames.
2. ASSESS site-specific
climate change impacts
and vulnerabilities.
3. EVALUATE
management objectives
given projected impacts
and vulnerabilities.
4. IDENTIFY and
implement adaptation
approaches and tactics .
5. MONITOR and
evaluate effectiveness
of implemented
actions.
Vulnerability
assessments,
scientific literature,
and other resources
Adaptation
Strategies and
Approaches
Carbon (greenhouse gas mitigation)
is a management goal.

26. Example: Adaptation & Mitigation
Florence County, WI: www.forestadaptation.org/flo-co; Richards et al. 2017
• Maintain and restore native species
• Favor drought-tolerant species expected to
be better-adapted to future conditions
• Reduce impacts to soils and nutrient cycling
• Improved planting stock, rapid regeneration
to enhance forest growth
• Biochar and ash treatments to increase soil
carbon, improve forest growth
Adaptation
Mitigation

27. Next Steps: Adaptation & Mitigation
• What are the effects of adaptation actions on forest
carbon stocks?
• Change in aboveground and soil carbon over time (via ASCC)
• Analysis of reforestation value for enhanced forest carbon
sequestration
• What are strategies, approaches, and tactics for
climate-informed carbon management?
• Literature review
• Integration of strategies and approaches for forest carbon
management with Adaptation Workbook
Questions? Maria Janowiak, mjanowiak02@fs.fed.us

29. Same actions–
climate change
just makes
them that
much more
important
Small “tweaks” that
improve effectiveness
New & different
actions to consider,
even some that may
seem wild & crazy
*individual results will vary
Adaptation: The Real Story