Climate Change in Canada’s Forest Sector:

Impacts and Adaptation

A Presentation to the

Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

February 25, 2003

by Greg McKinnon, Forest Sector Coordinator

C-CIARN Forest Sector

Presentation Outline

Responding to Climate Change:

Mitigation or Adaptation? Mitigation Impacts and Adaptation Making Climate Change Adaptation a Reality: Summary

Source: Climate Change 2001: Synthesis Report. Stand-alone edition. Watson, R.T. and the Core Writing Team (Eds.). IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland. Figure SPM-5. p. 17.

Responding to Climate Change: Mitigation or Adaptation?

Mitigation

Forests are recognized under the Kyoto Protocol in calculating a country’s net CO2

Two main elements in carbon management: decreased emissions increased sequestration and storage

Key questions: Will Canada’s forests be a net sink or a net source

for carbon? Will management for carbon be in concert, or in

conflict, with other forest management objectives?

Impact of Climate Change on Canada’s Forests

Forests are most strongly linked to climate during regeneration and through climate’s impact on disturbances

Direct impact of climate change on sustainability of Canada’s forests has national and global implications

Adapting to Climate Change Objectives: Sustainable forest management

Maintain and enhance the long-term health of forest ecosystems for the benefit of all living things

Sustainable communities Provide environmental, economic, social and cultural

opportunities for present and future generations

Making Climate Change Adaptation a Reality in Forest Management

Focus on Policy Increase awareness of importance and immediacy of

climate change issues to forest policy-makers and managers

Recognize that forest policy may need to change dramatically to allow adaptation to climate change

Strengthen linkages between policy and research Institute ‘vulnerability’ approach to climate change

impacts and adaptation Incorporate multi-stakeholder interests and reconcile

any conflicting forest management objectives, especially on public land

Focus on Forest Practices

Manage for resiliency, flexibility and diversity Initiate forest practices now that make sense from a

number of perspectives, including climate change, e.g. manage for fire, insects, windthrow

Apply adaptive management strategies – initiate, monitor, re-assess, and revise

Pursue multi-stakeholder support for contentious forest practices designed to ameliorate effects of climate change, e.g. introduction of exotic tree species, etc.

Focus on Research

Determine key knowledge gaps and research priorities – linked to on-the-ground forest management policy and practices

Effectively communicate research results to forest users

Increase focus on adaptation Increase capacity and financial resources dedicated

to impacts and adaptation

Delivery Mechanisms

Research: Canadian Forest Service Sustainable Forest Management Network

(NCE) Universities Model Forest Network Provincial Forest Research organizations

Delivery Mechanisms

Policy Provincial Governments Certification Bodies, e.g. Forest Stewardship

Council Model Forest Network Non-Governmental Organizations Industry International Markets

Delivery Mechanisms

Forest Practices: Industry Private Landowners Provincial Governments

C-CIARN Forest’s Role To increase the awareness of forest-related issues

involving impacts of, and adaptation to, climate change

To enhance the capacity for, and coordination of, research on climate change impacts and adaptation pertaining to Canada's forests

To facilitate communication about the impacts of climate change and options for adaptation among researchers, forest managers, policymakers, and forest-based communities

Summary

Climate change is real

There is a much greater probability that Canada’s forests will be a net source rather than a net sink for carbon

Options for mitigation of CO2 emissions through forest management are limited and subject to conflict with other management objectives

Summary (cont’d)

More research, linked to policies and practices, is required on impacts and adaptation

Forest policies and practices should be adapted in recognition of present, and expected, climate change impacts (vulnerability approach)

Forest management and forest-based communities, to be sustainable, must incorporate climate change adaptive strategies

VISIT US AT:

www.forest.c-ciarn.ca