Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Mount Hood National Forest, and Willamette National Forest

Abstract

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Trade‐offs among management objectives in mature Douglas‐fir forests of the Pacific Northwest

“…If representative of landscape-scale patterns, the trade-offs between conservation of late-successional forest birds and drought adaptation that we observed in a sample of 18 mature stands would have important implications within and beyond the Pacific Northwest. In particular, our results imply that continued application of reserve-based management in mature stands with relatively high stand densities may increasingly conflict with adaptation to a future that is likely to involve greater climate aridity and/or seasonal soil moisture limitations (Fleishman, 2023;Halofsky et al, 2022aHalofsky et al, , 2022bRaymond et al, 2014;Restaino et al, 2016;USGCRP, 2018). In old-growth forests, the presence of a complex, multilayered canopy, less common in mature stands, may have a moderating influence on microclimate (Betts et al, 2018;Chen et al, 1993;Frey et al, 2016).…”

“…Fish and Wildlife Service, 2002;Johnson et al, 2023;Phalan et al, 2019;Swanson et al, 2014), highlighting major conservation challenges for regional forests. Meanwhile, events such as the 2020 Labor Day fires (Reilly et al, 2022) and record-breaking 2021 "heat dome" (Still et al, 2023), projected climate change (Fleishman, 2023;Halofsky et al, 2022aHalofsky et al, , 2022b, and its contribution to decline spirals in major tree species in the region (Bennett et al, 2023), suggest that mitigating, adapting, and responding to disturbance and environmental change are likely to become increasingly important dimensions of management.…”

“…1. Drought adaptation: We used the drought resistance and drought resilience data described in Management effects on drought adaptation as metrics of climate change adaptation because drought and its interactions with other disturbance phenomena are among the primary adaptation challenges for many temperate forests, including those of the Pacific Northwest (e.g., Chmura et al, 2011;Clark et al, 2016;Halofsky et al, 2022aHalofsky et al, , 2022bVose et al, 2019). 2.…”

“…Implications for managing biodiversityclimate change trade-offs in mature westside forests Pacific Northwest forests provide a broad range of high-value resources, but changes in climate and disturbance regimes present a growing threat to these resources (Agne et al, 2018;Chmura et al, 2011;Halofsky et al, 2020Halofsky et al, , 2022aHalofsky et al, , 2022bRaymond et al, 2014;Rogers et al, 2011;Spies et al, 2018). Despite cessation of old-growth harvesting and plantation silviculture on federal lands following implementation of the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (Thomas et al, 2006;USDA and USDI, 1994), the populations of both early-successional and some priority late-successional forest wildlife have continued to decline (Betts et al, 2010;U.S.…”

Cap. 31. Adaptación. En: La Quinta Evaluación Nacional del Clima

“…La urgencia de la adaptación climática es evidente y está muy bien documentada 1,2,3,4,5 . Los beneficios de la adaptación climática pueden ser inmensos y percibidos por todos si se avanza y se escala lo suficiente en relación con el ritmo del cambio climático (KM 31.1), si se centra en la equidad desde el principio (KM 31.2) y si las acciones de adaptación tanto transformativas como progresivas se adoptan immediatamente (KM 31.3).…”