Adaptations Of Forests And The Forest Sector To Climate Change

This report summarizes current knowledge about recent changes in the climate of Canadas forests and projects further changes over this century based on scenarios of future global greenhouse gas emissions developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Even with sustained reductions in global emissions the future climate is predicted to be quite different, meaning that adaptation will be essential. Impacts on the forest are already occurring and will be substantial in the future. The current upward trend in area burned annually is expected to continue. Forests will be prone to widespread stress induced by the changing climate, increasing the likelihood of pest outbreaks in the short to medium term. Recent outbreaks of several pests have exceeded in scope all previous known epidemics of these pests and are associated with the crossing of a climatic threshold. Invasion of the boreal forest by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Hopkins), appears likely, although the effect of this range expansion would likely be less severe than that observed recently in British Columbia, and outbreaks of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), are predicted to be longer and more severe in the future. Future forest growth in response to climate change is expected to be variable, with growth reduction because of drought in parts of Canadas western forests perhaps the most dramatic short- to medium-term outcome, though modestly increased growth in the east is predicted. Such impacts have implications for the cost and characteristics of timber supply, and climate change will also affect forestry operations, recreation opportunities, biodiversity, and carbon storage. Planning based on past approaches will need to be reconsidered. Current objectives for sustainable forest management may not be attainable in the future, although there may be some new opportunities. Climate change may produce public safety risks, significant economic and social dislocation in forest-dependent communities including Aboriginal communities, and impacts on the competitiveness of companies as well as on the actions and policies of all levels of government. These effects can be reduced through early identification and implementation of actions to reduce vulnerabilities or take advantage of new opportunities. The key needs associated with adaptation in the forest sector include awareness building and debate, improved knowledge and information, vulnerability assessments, planning frameworks and tools, and enhanced coordination and cooperation among governments and other forest sector participants. Meeting the challenge of adaptation will require sustained effort for many years.

The critical role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation is now widely recognized. Forests contribute significantly to climate change mitigation through their carbon sink and carbon storage functions. They play an essential role in reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing adaptation of people and ecosystems to climate change and climate variability, the negative impacts of which are becoming increasingly evident in many parts of the world. In many countries climate change issues have not been fully addressed in national forest policies, forestry mitigation and adaptation needs at national level have not been thoroughly considered in national climate change strategies, and cross-sectoral dimensions of climate change impacts and response measures have not been fully appreciated. This publication seeks to provide a practical approach to the process of integrating climate change into national forest programmes. The aim is to assist senior officials in government administrations and the representatives of other stakeholders, including civil society organizations and the private sector, prepare the forest sector for the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change. This document complements a set of guidelines prepared by FAO in 2013 to support forest managers incorporate climate change considerations into forest management plans and practices.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face - both in terms of its potential impact on our societies and the earth, and the scale of international co-operation that is needed to confront it. Emerging as a component of the international dialogue on the environment and climate, the role of forests in influencing earth systems will need to be assessed. Drawing together perspectives from researchers and policy makers, this book explores how forests will interact with the physical and natural world, and with human society as the climate changes. Also considered is how the world's forests can be managed to contribute to the mitigation of climate change and to maximize the full range of economic and non-market benefits. Providing an examination of the science, a detailed consideration of the science policy interface and the international frameworks and conventions, this book is valuable reading for all those interested in sustainable forest management, climate change and the associated environmental sciences.

The purpose of social science analysis of climate change is to assist policy makers in understanding the expected flows of benefits and costs of policy options over time and to improve our understanding of the human dimensions of the climate change issue. This report deals with socioeconomic criteria for assessment and with the development of methods and approaches for obtaining a better understanding of the socioeconomic impacts and adaptive responses to climate change in Canada's forest sector. Policy makers responding to the climate change issue must deal with many complex issues and unique circumstances. These issues and circumstances also have a bearing on methodologies for undertaking analysis of the future impacts of climate change. Climate change and the effects of climate change on human society spans multiple scales, which leads to the need to consider feedback's and interactions between environmental and human systems, between political systems and between different parts or segments of economies. The implications are that dynamic general or partial equilibrium models integrated with ecosystem response models will be required in order to understand the implications of climate change for land use change, future ecosystem distributions and the supply of timber from Canada's forests. In addition to affecting future timber supply and future commercial forest areas, climate change will influence the benefits Canadians receive from non-market benefits such as outdoor recreation. Currently there is limited analysis of the effects of climate change on non-market values and this area requires more work. Another factor influencing climate change analysis is that the issue spans unusually long time frames for policy analysis and economic analysis. This raises questions about suitable discount rates and accounting for social welfare of future generations. Finally, there is significant uncertainty in long term predictions of climate change and in how the integrated human/biological system will respond over time. Decision analysis, safe minimum standards, precautionary principles and maximin criterion provide some way to incorporate uncertainty into decision making. In terms of integrated assessment models, systematic consideration for the diversity of opinions and results from scientific studies regarding future climate and ecosystems shifts is required.

The 'Addressing forestry and agroforestry in National Adaptation Plans: Supplementary guidelines' provide specific guidance for national adaptation planning in the forestry sector. They are intended to be used by national planners and decision–makers working on climate change issues in developing countries and authorities and experts who are contributing to climate change adaptation and NAP formulation and implementation.

This edited open access volume explores the role of forest bioeconomy in addressing climate change. The authors put a particular focus on planetary boundaries and how the linear, growth-oriented economy, is coupled with climate change and environmental degradation. Biobased products and sustainable production paths have been developed, but how can they be scaled in order to lead to an economic paradigm shift? This and other questions are discussed throughout the volume. Since science indicates that climate change will continue this century, the authors also analyse how forests can be adapted to increasing forest disturbances that changing climate are expected to cause. The authors propose climate-smart forestry as useful approach for climate mitigation and adaptation of forests to climate change, as wells as sustainable increase of economic well-being based on forestry. The book illustrates the application of climate-smart forestry in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and Spain, i.e., in EU countries with quite different forests and forest sectors. This proactive and inspiring volume is an essential resource for Forest Management professionals, decision makers, scientists, and forestry students.