Urban Vulnerability Assessments in the Midwest and Northeast
What is Vulnerability?
Vulnerability is the degree to which a system is susceptible to and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. The identification of vulnerable species and ecosystems in the near term is a critical step in long-term planning.
Some forests may exhibit substantial and long-term declines in vigor and productivity as a result of climatic changes; these forests may be considered vulnerable even if they show some resilience in community composition.
Other forests are more clearly vulnerable as ecosystem function or community composition is severely altered. Vulnerability assessments recognize that a system's vulnerability is a function of its exposure to climate change, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity.
These assessments summarize current conditions and key stressors and identify past and projected trends in climate. This information is then incorporated into model projections of future forest change.
These projections, along with local knowledge and expertise, are used to develop case studies of urban forest vulnerability for municipalities, park districts, and forest preserve districts across the region. Implications of these impacts and vulnerabilities for urban forest management across the region are also discussed.
Browse City-Specific Urban Vulnerability Assessments By Region
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Minnesota Urban Assessments
There are urban assessments for the Twin Cities and Rochester.
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Michigan Urban Assessments
There are urban assessments for Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Detroit.
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Wisconsin Urban Assessments
There are urban assessments for Ashland, Stevens Point, Green Bay, Middleton, Monroe, Milwaukee, and Racine.
Iowa Urban Assessment
There is an assessment for Des Moines.
Central Hardwoods Urban Assessments
There are urban assessments for Indianapolis, Chicago, and Lexington.
Central Appalachian Urban Assessments
There are no city assessments for Ohio, West Virginia, or Maryland.
Mid-Atlantic Urban Assessments
There are urban assessments for New York City, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.
New England Urban Assessments
There are urban assessments for Boston and Providence.
Regional Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessments
Visit the vulnerability home page for regional assessments for these regions.