Forestry practitioners are increasingly interested in how to adapt practices to accommodate predicted changes in climate. One forest management option involves helping tree species and seed sources (populations) track the movement of their climates through “assisted migration”: the purposeful movement of species to facilitate or mimic natural population or range expansion. In this paper, we discuss assisted migration as a climate change adaptation strategy within forest management. Substantial evidence suggests that most tree species will not be able to adapt through natural selection or migrate naturally at rates sufficient to keep pace with climate change, leaving forests susceptible to forest health risks and reduced productivity. We argue that assisted migration is a prudent, proactive, inexpensive strategy that exploits finely tuned plant-climate adaptations wrought through millennia of natural selection to help maintain forest resilience, health and productivity in a changing climate. Seed migration distances being considered in operational forestry in British Columbia are much shorter than migration distances being contemplated in many conservation biology efforts and are informed by decades of field provenance testing. Further,only migrations between similar biogeoclimatic units are under discussion. These factors reduce considerably the risk of ecological disturbance associated with assisted migration. To facilitate the discussion of assisted migration, we present three forms of assisted migration, and discuss how assisted migration is being considered internationally, nationally, and provincially. Finally, we summarize policy and research needs and provide links to other resources for further reading.
Under the Forest and Range Practices Act, forest and range licensees in British Columbia are required to develop Forest Stewardship Plans and manage their operations to maintain limiting habitats of Identified Wildlife within their tenures. North American badgers (Taxidea taxus) are large members of the weasel family that are a Species At Risk within the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy (IWMS) and are listed as Endangered by COSEWIC. Several aspects of their ecology make them susceptible to forest and range management activities, including their dependence on the grassland, open forest, and modified forested habitat that supports their prey. This Wildlife Habitat Decision Aid (WHDA) summarizes the latest scientific and experiential information that forest and range managers, including silviculture planners, operational foresters, and ranchers, need to consider when managing for badger habitat requirements. This information was obtained through a literature review and discussions with researchers studying badger ecology in British Columbia.The WHDA format has been used to convey information on factors requiring consideration when managing forests and range in British Columbia for specific wildlife species. This WHDA provides information on habitat features needed by badgers for reproductive dens, resting sites, and foraging habitats; biogeoclimatic zones where badgers occur; and considerations when conducting harvesting, silviculture activities, or livestock grazing in badger range. We provide a map of the distribution and list the biogeoclimatic zones in which badgers occur to help users identify where to apply management considerations. Also included is a valuable resource and reference list that contains more detailed information. Most reference material that is not available online can be ordered through libraries.
Fishers (Martes pennanti) are forest-dependent carnivores of the weasel family that are considered a Species at Risk under the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy and Species of Special Concern (blue-listed) by British Columbia Conservation Data Centre. Under the Forest and Range Practices Act, forest and range licensees in British Columbia are required to develop Forest Stewardship Plans and manage their operations to maintain limiting habitats of Identified Wildlife within their tenures accordingly. Several aspects of the ecology of fishers make them susceptible to forest-harvest activities, including their use of structural elements found primarily in late-successional forests. This Wildlife Habitat Decision Aid (WHDA) summarizes the latest scientific and experiential information that forestry practitioners, including silviculture planners and operational foresters, need to consider when managing for fisher habitat requirements. This information was obtained through an extensive literature analysis and discussions with experts in fisher ecology in British Columbia. Most information on fisher ecology in this extension note was derived from studies conducted in the Cariboo, Williston, Chilcotin, and South Peace regions.The WHDA format has been used to convey information on factors requiring consideration when managing forests and range in British Columbia for specific wildlife species. This WHDA provides information on habitats used by fishers for birthing and rearing young, resting, and foraging; a provincial fisher distribution map and a list of biogeoclimatic zones where fishers most commonly occur; and forest management considerations when harvesting and conducting silviculture activities within fisher range. Also included is a resource and reference list that contains more detailed information. Most reference material that is not available online can be ordered through libraries.
Biodiversity is a key component of forested ecosystems. It should be preserved not only for its own sake, but because biodiverse ecosystems are resilient and better able to respond to changing conditions. This extension note is a condensed version of a full synthesis paper and provides some background on how biodiversity can be managed and enhanced in the wake of natural and man-made disturbances.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.