Download Adaptation and Mitigation Concepts for Northern Forests

Adaptation and Mitigation Concepts for Forest Management
Shared Landscapes Initiative Workshop
February 24-25, 2010
Introduction
Change.
− Climate is changing. Forests are changing.
− Management will also need to adjust to cope with climate change.
Uncertainty.
− Working with uncertainty will be more effective than trying to guess the future.
Adaptation & Mitigation in Forests
Adaptation.  Actions to moderate the vulnerability of forests to climate change  Positions forests to become more healthy, resistant, & resilient
Mitigation.
 Use of forests to sequester carbon, provide renewable energy from biomass, & avoid carbon losses from fire, mortality, conversion, etc. THESE ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.
Spittlehouse and Stewart 2003, Malmsheimer et al. 2008
Rationale for Forest Adaptation

High level of uncertainty about future climate conditions
 Temperature, precipitation, extremes, etc.

Different approaches for managing forests will be needed to adapt to new & changing conditions
 Current management:
 Desired future condition
 Pre‐settlement conditions
Forest Adaptation Concepts – 5 R’s
Resistance – improve the defenses of the forest against effects of change

Fire breaks around high value or high risk areas

Intensive removal of invasive species
Millar et al. 2007, 2008
Forest Adaptation Concepts – 5 R’s
Resistance – improve the defenses of the forest against effects of change
Resilience – accommodate gradual change, usually returning to a prior condition after disturbance

Thinning stands to improve overall health & vigor

Management of vegetation following disturbance
Millar et al. 2007, 2008
Forest Adaptation Concepts – 5 R’s
Resistance – improve the defenses of the forest against effects of change
Resilience – accommodate gradual change, usually returning to a prior condition after disturbance
Response – intentionally accommodate change, enabling ecosystems to adaptively respond

Assisted migration

Increase connectivity for migration corridors

Manage refugia
Millar et al. 2007, 2008
Forest Adaptation Concepts – 5 R’s
Resistance – improve the defenses of the forest against effects of change
Resilience – accommodate gradual change, usually returning to a prior condition after disturbance
Response – intentionally accommodate change, enabling ecosystems to adaptively respond
Realignment – for severely changed or disturbed systems, allow for readjustment to new conditions Millar et al. 2007, 2008
Forest Adaptation Concepts – 5 R’s
Resistance – improve the defenses of the forest against effects of change
Resilience – accommodate gradual change, usually returning to a prior condition after disturbance
Response – intentionally accommodate change, enabling ecosystems to adaptively respond
Realignment – for severely changed or disturbed systems, allow for readjustment to new conditions
Reduce – mitigation of greenhouse gases through carbon sequestration and renewable energy use
Millar et al. 2007, 2008
Rationale for Forest Mitigation

Mitigation activities reduce the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change  Lessens climate change impacts
 Reduces amount of adaptation
Rationale for Forest Mitigation
Importance of forests in the global carbon cycle
Type of Ecosystem
(North America)
Mean Carbon Stock
(Mt C/ha)
Settled Lands
10
Agriculture
80
Grassland
107
Forest
222
Peatlands
1470
CCSP SAP 2.2 2008
Forest Sector Carbon Cycle
Figure: EPA 2007
Forest Mitigation Concepts
Emission avoidance – prevent emissions from occurring compared to a ‘business as usual’ scenario

Avoided deforestation 
Reduced impact of catastrophic disturbances (e.g., pests, fire, etc.)
Brown 1999, Maness 2009
Forest Mitigation Concepts
Emission avoidance – prevent emissions from occurring compared to a ‘business as usual’ scenario
Sequestration – use management in forest ecosystems to sequester additional carbon

Afforestation

Forest management that emphasizes carbon storage and sequesters additional C relative to ‘business as usual’

Durable wood products that sequester C while in use
Brown 1999, Maness 2009
Forest Mitigation Concepts
Emission avoidance – prevent emissions from occurring compared to a ‘business as usual’
scenario
Sequestration – use management in forest ecosystems to sequester additional carbon
Substitution – reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels by using wood for energy and products

Produce renewable biomass for energy production that replaces fossil fuel emissions

Wood products used in place of materials that are more energy (or emissions) intensive to produce
Forest Mitigation – Not simple
Evaluations of the carbon consequences of forest management decisions are complicated, for example:
 Location & situation specific
 Multiple scales

Spatial, temporal
 Defining/determining ‘business as usual’
 Upstream and downstream

Products

Emissions
Final Thoughts
 Adaptation and mitigation are not mutually exclusive. Both must be considered.
 Rests on having HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE forests and ecosystems. It’s still about sustainable forest management.
 There is no “shiny new tool.”
Many of the tools are already available.