Approach
Transitioning to a better-adapted system in order to maintain carbon sequestration capacity may involve the active introduction of species or genotypes to areas that they have not historically occupied, often described as assisted migration, assisted colonization, or managed relocation. One type of assisted migration, sometimes called forestry-assisted migration, focuses on moving species to new locations in order to maintain forest productivity and health under climate change. Given the uncertainty about specific climate conditions in the future, relocating species with a broad range of tolerances (e.g., temperature, moisture) from across a wide geographic range may be more successful. Moving species to new habitats within their current range or over relatively short distances outside their current range, and focusing on widespread species for which much is known about their life history traits, may be considered relatively low risk. However, there are still risks associated with moving any species, such as introducing new pests or diseases, the potential for hybridization with other closely related species, and genetic bottlenecks if the introduced seed source is not adequately diverse.
Tactics
- Planting oaks, pines, and other drought-tolerant species on sites that are expected to become drier and that have not been historically occupied by those species.
- Planting flood-tolerant species on sites that are expected to become more prone to flooding and that are currently not occupied by flood-tolerant species.
- Planting southern species, such as shortleaf pine, north of its current range on suitable sites based upon its projected range expansion.
- Planting disease-resistant cultivars of American elm or American chestnut where they are likely to have suitable habitat.
Strategy
Strategy Text
Land managers already work in many ways to increase forest productivity through enhancing structural heterogeneity and species diversity. As an adaptation strategy for managing forest carbon, this general goal receives added effort and focus when managing systems whose current characteristics limit the ability of the forest to sequester carbon or increase the risk of carbon losses through disturbance under a changing climate. This strategy is focuses on altering the characteristics of a forest through intentional alterations of species composition and structure so the desired future conditions of the forest are significantly changed from current conditions. These changes may be necessary in order to create ecosystems that are better adapted to the range of expected future conditions, thereby maintaining desired ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and storage and reducing the risk of carbon loss from disturbance.
Todd A Ontl, Maria K Janowiak, Christopher W Swanston, Jad Daley, Stephen Handler, Meredith Cornett, Steve Hagenbuch, Cathy Handrick, Liza Mccarthy, Nancy Patch, Forest Management for Carbon Sequestration and Climate Adaptation, Journal of Forestry, Volume 118, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 86–101, https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvz062