Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Land Stewardship Plans: Activities andAdaptation concepts

Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Land Stewardship Plans

Land Trust Rally

Friday, October 28, 2016

What to expect

1) What are projected climate changes and how will they affect ecosystems across the U.S. and Canada?

What to expect

2) How can you apply all of this information to your work?

• Priorities will depend on your goals for your properties.

• Adaptation might not look that different from what you’re already doing.

• We can work with uncertainty!

Welcome!

Please tell us:

• Your name

• Where you work

• Your [Icebreaker TBD]

Considerations for Meeting Land Stewardship Objectives

Activity #1

Why Conserve Land?

How might climate change alter your

land stewardship goals and activities?

Activity #1

• New challenges?

• New opportunities?

Responding to Climate Change: An Overview of Adaptation Concepts

Two Questions

1. How might climate change affect the resources that I work to protect?

2. What actions could help prepare for those effects?

Desired Future

TIME

Climate ChangeTrajectory

?

Climate-Driven Changes

Uncertainty and Risk

Design actions that are robust across a range of potential future conditions

A2A1BB1

CSIRO

MIROC

HAD

Plan for a Range

Least

Projected

Change

Most

Projected

Change

CSIRO (A1B) HAD (A1B) MIROC (A1B) MIROC (A2)

Change in Mean Monthly Temperature (°C)2070-2099 vs 1961-1990

Adaptation is the adjustment of systems in response to climate change.

Ecosystem-based adaptation activities build on the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration.

Adaptation Options

Manage for Persistence:Ecosystems are still recognizable as being the same system (character)

Resistance

Transition(Response)

Resilience

Manage for Change:Ecosystems have fundamentally changed to something different

Resistance (persistence)

Improve the defenses of the ecosystem against effects of change.

• Short-term

• High-value

Millar et al. 2007Photo: USFS

Desired Future

TIME


?


Desired Future

TIME


?


Increasing resources needed to maintain desired conditions

Higher risk

Resilience (persistence)

Accommodate some degree of change or disruption, but be able to return to a similar condition after disturbance

Holling 1973, Millar et al. 2007Photo: USFS

Thinning stands to improve overall health & vigor Management of vegetation following disturbance

TIME


?

Resilience (persistence)

Increasing resources needed to maintain desired conditions

Higher risk

Transition (change)

Intentionally encourage change, help ecosystems respond in a targeted fashion

Millar et al. 2007

• Foster future-adapted native species• Managed relocation/assisted migration• Increased connectivity for migration• Manage refugia

TIME


?

Transition (change)

Option

Strategy

Approach

Tactic

CONCEPT

ACTION

Resistance TransitionResilience

Manage for Persistence:

Ecosystems are still recognizable

as being the same system

Manage for Change:

Ecosystems have fundamentally

changed to something different.

Adaptation Strategies and Approaches

Forest Adaptation Resources

Adaptation Workbook

Strategies & Approaches

Menu of adaptation actions

Swanston et al. 2016; www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/52760

• Structured process to integrate climate change considerations into management Workbook approach

http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/52760

Forest Adaptation Resources

• 10 strategies, 40 approaches

• Result of literature review & expert

feedback and review

• Provides a “menu” of possible

actions to chose from based upon

your needs

Strategies & Approaches

Menu of adaptation actions

Swanston et al. 2016; www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/52760

http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/52760

Adaptation Strategies & Approaches

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.


Sustain fundamental ecological functions

CONCEPT

ACTION

STRATEGIES

APROACHES

TACTICS

Option: Resistance (forestall change)


Maintain or restore hydrology

CONCEPT

ACTION

STRATEGIES

APROACHES

TACTICS


CONCEPT

ACTION

STRATEGIES

APROACHES

TACTICS Use water control structures to maintain key wetland habitats


CONCEPT

ACTION

STRATEGIES

APROACHES

TACTICS Plant future-adapted species (e.g., oak) on south-facing slopes


Emphasize drought-and heat-tolerant

species & populations

CONCEPT

ACTION

STRATEGIES

APROACHES

TACTICS


Facilitate community adjustments through

species transitions

CONCEPT

ACTION

STRATEGIES

APROACHES

TACTICS

Option: Transition(facilitate change)

Swanston et al. 2016; www.adaptationworkbook.org

Adaptation WorkbookA structured process to integrate climate change

considerations into management planning and activities

1. DEFINE area of interest, management objectives, and time

frames.

2. ASSESS climate change impacts and

vulnerabilities for the area of interest.

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

http://www.adaptationworkbook.org/

Adaptation Libraryhttp://adaptationpartners.org/library.php

Adaptation strategies and tactics for the western U.S.

http://adaptationpartners.org/library.php

ADAPTATION EXAMPLE:

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY’S 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

Goals:

Maintain historically characteristic forest communities.

Maintain contribution to downstream water quality.

Encourage mid- to late-successional forests that emulate natural disturbance dynamics.

Climate change considerations, challenges, and

opportunities:

Reduced lake-effect snow - potential for deer browsing on vegetation.

Reduced and fluctuating water levels – stress on forests and forested wetlands.

Declines in habitat – tree species such as black spruce and balsam fir.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Increases in habitat - red oak, white pine, and several other species that currently occur in parts of the preserve.

Unique site and location may offer opportunities for refugia.

IDENTIFY adaptation approaches and tactics for

implementation.

Promote tree species that are expected to fare better under climate change, like red oak and white pine.

Convert a portion of an upland hardwoods stand to a red oak forest where natural regeneration is present.

Reserve high-quality pockets of hemlock to serve as refugia for that species.

Maintain lowland conifers as a no harvest reserve area and increase monitoring to detect hydrological changes in peatland systems.

ADAPTATION EXAMPLE:

H2H PROJECT

Activity #2

Develop local examples of adaptation tactics

Activity #2

In this activity you will use your knowledge and expertise to identify adaptation approaches and tactics for a specific scenario.

Activity #2

As a group, select a place or ecosystem to work in.

1) Create and describe a hypothetical (or real!) land stewardship project

– Conditions: Location, site conditions, species composition, disturbance history and susceptibility, etc.

– Typical goals and objectives: What are you hoping to accomplish with this land stewardship project?

1

2

34

5

Activity #2

As a group, select a place or ecosystem to work in.

2) Identify important climate change considerations for this place:

What challenges or opportunities does climate change pose for meeting your stewardship goals?

1

2

34

5

Maps/data for this section courtesy of R. Neilson and MAPSS Vegetation Modeling Lab

To help think about climate change in your region.

Precipitation change (summer and winter)

Temperature change (summer and winter)

Activity #2

Activity #2

What actions can be taken to help your system cope with change AND meet

stewardship goals?

1

2

34

5

Activity #2

What actions can be taken to help your system cope with change AND meet stewardship goals?

Place:

Location and conditions:

Management goals:

Climate change considerations, challenges, and opportunities:

Adaptation Tactics:

1)

2)

3)

…

Activity #2

1. Douglas, Stoesz, Craft

2. Burke, Geiger, Van Der Linden, Bourquin, Register, Pearson

3. Noss, Swanson, Lawson

4. Johnston, Burgess, Brooks, Goglia

5. McCoshum, Pennington, Stokdal, Duus

6. Greer, Koetsier, Lougheed

7. Stolcers, Morton, Tremblay, McMillan

Groups

Identifying Adaptation Tactics

Swanston et al. 2016

1. DEFINE area of interest, management objectives, and time

frames.

2. ASSESS climate change impacts and

vulnerabilities for the area of interest.

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.

What actions can be taken to help a system cope with change AND meet stewardship

goals?

Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Land Stewardship Plans: Activities andAdaptation concepts

Environment

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