Use seeds, germplasm, and other genetic material from across a greater geographic range

Planted stock often exhibits greater survival when originating from local seed sources, but changing environmental conditions may eventually result in poor establishment or survival of seedlings derived from local sources that can result in understocked forests with lower rates of carbon sequestration. Using seed zones that reflect regional analyses of projected changes in environmental conditions over time may provide seed sources better suited to conditions than static seed zones. This may entail importing genetic stock from a variety of locations, ranging from local sources to stock originating beyond its current range in order to provide material that are likely to be better suited to the current or future climate that enhances future forest carbon stocks. Although using this strategy requires moving species or genotypes to new habitats or locations, this strategy is intended to maintain forest functioning including carbon sequestration capacity, and may require communicating with policy-makers to reevaluate seed zone sizes and rules governing the movement of seed. It is important to note that although many environmental factors may match seedlings to geographic areas, limitations such as cold tolerance may remain. It is also important to take the necessary precautions to avoid introducing a new invasive species.

Climate change is projected to increase the potential for severe disturbance events that reduce forest ecosystems carbon stocks, while additionally affecting the growth and regeneration of extant species. Many forest management decisions aim to limit the negative impacts of disturbances while enhancing the growth of residual trees and the regeneration of desired species that represent the current and future capacity of the ecosystem to sequester carbon. Often these management actions aim to enhance existing forest conditions, such as species composition and stand structural diversity that are key to the desired services provided by the forest. Slight adjustments in forest conditions can improve the retention of carbon within various forest carbon pools or enhance the rate of recovery following a disturbance event without dramatically altering the character of forest ecosystems.