Assisted Migration To Address Climate Change In British Columbia

Climate change is expected to result in trees in most regions of British Columbia becoming increasingly maladapted to the climates in which they are planted. Consequently, planting seedlings adapted to future climates (assisted migration) is recognized as a key strategy to address climate change, as it will help maintain healthy, productive forests, and ensure capture of gains obtained from decades of selective breeding. To examine opportunities to incorporate assisted migration into British Columbia's seed transfer system, the feasibility of increasing the upper elevational transfer limit of British Columbia's Class A and Class B seed was assessed by calculating the climatic transfer distance associated with elevational transfers. A rationale was developed for quantifying an appropriate climatic distance and range to migrate seed, and was used to evaluate elevational transfer increases of 100 and 200 m. Results indicate that of the 30 Class A Seed Planning Units (SPUs) examined, eight should retain their current upper elevation limits, one should have its upper elevation limit increased by 100 m, and the remainder should have their upper elevation limits increased by 200 m. Upper elevation transfer limits of Class B seed should be increased by 200 m for eight species, by 100 m for two species, and should remain unchanged for three species. Specific recommendations are provided in Tables 2 and 3. Deployment of orchard seed in the lowest 200 m of the western white pine-Maritime and interior spruce-East Kootenay SPUs is discouraged, as is transfer of Class B seed of amabilis fir and western hemlock more than 200 m downward and western redcedar more than 300 m downward.

"A well-designed seedlot selection system is central to the maintenance of healthy and productive forest plantations, particularly in an era of rapidly changing climates. Opportunities for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of seedlot selection in British Columbia are provided by new technologies, analysis techniques, and genetic data. We propose a climate-based system of seed transfer that is expected to better match seedlots to planting sites using new transfer functions to identify biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification units where each seedlot is anticipated to grow well. The system also: (1) facilitates the use of assisted migration to reduce climate change impacts to forest health and productivity; (2) allows for wider seedlot deployability; (3) increases ease of use; (4) simplifies system updating; (5) quantifies adaptation of seed source options to improve seed source deployment; (6) integrates with species selection."--Page iii.

"Climate change is one factor that interacts with many others to drive population movements. Estimates of the number of climate-influenced migrants range widely, but most projections agree that in the coming years climate change will compel hundreds of millions of people to relocate and that many forced migrants will remain in nearby poor regions in the Global South. Canada has disproportionately benefitted from the combustion of fossil fuels. Canada's share of the world population was less than 0.5 per cent in 2012, but our historical share of global GHG emissions is 2.1 per cent. Importantly for the future, as a wealthy nation, Canada has resources that will help it to adapt to future climate-related stressors, and it is well positioned to help other countries respond to climate change. ... This paper describes our collective obligation to climate migrants and evaluates where we are in meeting these responsibilities"--

Helps landowners select an appropriate stock type to minimize the effects of site limiting factors on the establishment and early growth of seedlings.

Assisted migration of tree species populations, or seed sources, is one of few adaptive strategies available to mitigate the projected effects of climate change on the structure, productivity, and distribution of forest ecosystems. In this report, the authors present the goals and objectives of a study intiated in 2008 to assess the potential of assisted migration as an adaptation strategy to manage for climate change in Ontario. In support of this study, they conducted a literature search on assisted migration and genetic variation in climatic response of forest tree species, through which were identified several hundred related scientific and technical publications. Citations and keywords for publications of greatest significance to using assisted migration as a climate change adaptation strategy are presented in the accompanying bibliography.--Document.

Soils and Landscape Restoration provides a multidisciplinary synthesis on the sustainable management and restoration of soils in various landscapes. The book presents applicable knowledge of above- and below-ground interactions and biome specific realizations along with in-depth investigations of particular soil degradation pathways. It focuses on severely degraded soils (e.g., eroded, salinized, mined) as well as the restoration of wetlands, grasslands and forests. The book addresses the need to bring together current perspectives on land degradation and restoration in soil science and restoration ecology to better incorporate soil-based information when restoration plans are formulated. Incudes a chapter on climate change and novel ecosystems, thus collating the perspective of soil scientists and ecologists on this consequential and controversial topic Connects science to international policy and practice Includes summaries at the end of each chapter to elucidate principles and key points

Summarizes the science of climate change and impacts on the United States, for the public and policymakers.

The Eastern Hemlock, massive and majestic, has played a unique role in structuring northeastern forest environments, from Nova Scotia to Wisconsin and through the Appalachian Mountains to North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. A "foundation species" influencing all the species in the ecosystem surrounding it, this iconic North American tree has long inspired poets and artists as well as naturalists and scientists. Five thousand years ago, the hemlock collapsed as a result of abrupt global climate change. Now this iconic tree faces extinction once again because of an invasive insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid. Drawing from a century of studies at Harvard University's Harvard Forest, one of the most well-regarded long-term ecological research programs in North America, the authors explore what hemlock's modern decline can tell us about the challenges facing nature and society in an era of habitat changes and fragmentation, as well as global change.