Maintain or improve the ability of forests to resist pests and pathogens

Insect pests and pathogens affect large areas of forest across the U.S. annually. Although impacts are typically diffusely distributed across forest ecosystems, damage from insects and pathogens can cause large-scale transformations of forests through changes to species composition, forest productivity, and carbon stocks (Clark et al. 2009; Williams et al. 2016). Approximately 6% of forests are at risk to lose at least 25% live basal area in the next 15 years from insects and pathogens (Krist et al. 2007), with an estimated reduction of 21 TgC yr-1 in live biomass (Williams et al. 2016). Climate change has the potential to add to or intensify the impact of insect pests and forest pathogens, particularly where site conditions may increase the susceptibility of forests to damage (Spittlehouse & Stewart 2003). Management actions that alter the density, structure, or species composition may reduce the vulnerability of forest stands to carbon losses from these agents.

Many forestry practices work directly and indirectly to maintain the integrity of ecosystems in the face of climate change in order to sustain the functions those systems provide. These land management practices seek to preserve or improve soil nutrient cycling, hydrologic functioning, and vegetation characteristics, and wildlife and insect populations that support productive and healthy forests that store and continue to sequester carbon. This adaptation strategy seeks to sustain or enhance ecological functions to reduce the impacts of a changing climate on forest carbon stocks.