Abstracts
Impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems in British Columbia and adaptation strategies for forest management
Andreas Hamann1, D. L. Spittlehouse, T. Wang, and S. N. Aitken
1University of British Columbia
hamann@interchange.ubc.ca
Climate change observed during the past decades may have already affected forest ecosystems in British Columbia. Epidemics of forest pest and increased fire disturbance may in part be attributable to climate warming. If these trends continue as predicted by global circulation models, the forestry community will have to implement extensive changes to resource management policy, forestry operations, and conservation planning. A high priority will be coping with and adapting to forest disturbance while maintaining the genetic diversity and resilience of forest ecosystems. We employ high-resolution climate modeling, bioclimate-envelope modeling, and multivariate matching techniques to assess potential impacts of climate change for British Columbia. Based on predicted changes in species habitats and disturbance regimes, we identify ecosystems and species at risk due to climate change, set priorities for ecosystem restoration and conservation efforts and ensure planting stock is adapted to predicted future environments. We present an example of this process using lodgepole pine - Background Information at http://genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/hamann/climate/.
2005-04-05 |
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