welcome []welcome partner and informational webinar intermountain adaptation partnership (iap)...
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome
Partner and Informational Webinar
Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP)
Conference Call: 888-844-9904, Access: 1264527#
June 11, 2015, 10-11am MT
U.S. Forest Service Presenters
Natalie Little, Regional Sustainable Operations and
Climate Change Coordinator, Ogden, UT
Dave Peterson, Research Biologist,
Seattle, WA, [email protected]
Jeff Bruggink, Regional Soil Scientist, Ogden, UT
Forest Service Mission & Changing Climates
Responding to changing climates is essential if the Forest Service is to fulfill its mission:
“to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s forests and grasslands for the benefit of present and future generations.”
IAP Webinar Outline
Provide information about the Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Action Strategy:
Vision and Strategy Timeline Definitions Focus Areas (9) Geographic Areas (6) Focus Area Teams (9) Information Sources Adaptation Action Strategies and Downscaling to the Unit Products News releases Partnerships Next Steps
IAP Vision and Strategy
Guide planning, forest plan revision, and NEPA per 2012 Planning Rule
Identify key resources critical to adaptation action plans
Integrate FS NFS and Research into a highly productive platform
Create partnerships with similar benefiting projects
Climate Change Scorecard – Elements 6 & 7
Specialist training to apply climate change knowledge in land management
Synthesize information into a published General Technical Report (GTR)
IAP Vision and Strategy – Map
IAP Timeline
April 21, 2015: Forest Service Kickoff Meeting
May 2015 – April 2016: Compile information for vulnerability assessment
June 11, 2015: Partner and Informational Webinar
March 2016: Weekly webinars sharing focus area information
May 2016: Two-day workshops for each geographic area
June 2016 – June 2017: Complete final report, review, and submit for publication
Late 2017: Published General Technical Report (GTR)
Definitions
Vulnerability Assessment: Evaluation of the degree to which organisms and systems are susceptible to the effects of climate change
Adaptation Action: Adjustment in natural or human systems to mitigate harm, facilitate transitions, or exploit benefits of climate change
IAP Focus Areas
Physical Resources
Vegetation Resources
Terrestrial Species
Aquatic Species
Infrastructure
Recreational Uses
Cultural Heritage
Ecosystem Services
Disturbance
Stratifying Assessment into Geographic Areas
Purpose for stratification
Complexity of region
Distribution of resources
Current and future climates vary across the region
Responses will vary across the region to changing climate
Context for local assessment
Manageable assessment
R4 Geographic Areas (sources of information)
Land fire Geographic Areas 2001 National Land Cover Database
partitioning/mapping zones
FS National Hierarchy of Ecological Units (Province)
EPA Ecoregions Level III (similar to Province)
National GAP vegetation mapping
Level 2 Hydrologic Units
Geographic Areas
Ecomap Province, Landfire and National GAP (vegetation)
Good correlation Shows relation with existing climate, vegetation and ecological units
Geographic Areas
Ecomap Province, Landfire, and Surface Water
Good correlation with ecological boundaries
Stream and river density captured by ecological units
Hybrid of Landfire Geographic Areas and Ecomap
Province Level with some splits and merging to include all lands within boundaries of Intermountain Region of FS
Final Geographic Areas Map
IAP Geographic Areas
Great Basin and Semi Desert
Middle Rockies
Southern Greater Yellowstone
Plateaus
Uintas and Wasatch Front
Intermountain Semi-Desert
IAP Focus Area Teams
Approximately 10-12 people per team
Most team members are Forest Service, but other organizations are involved too such as USGS, universities, NPS, and others
IAP Informational Sources
Agencies databases
Agency research
University research
IAP Downscaling to the Unit
Vulnerability Assessment
Adaptation Action Strategies
Development of Adaptation Strategies & Tactics
Vulnerabilities and Adaptation – Water
Vulnerability
Higher peak flows in fall and winter
Adaptation strategy
Design infrastructure to accommodate higher peak flows
Vulnerabilities and Adaptation – Water
Vulnerability
Higher peak flows in fall and winter
Adaptation tactics
Install larger culverts
Decommission roads in floodplains
Relocate campgrounds subject to flooding
Vulnerabilities and Adaptation – Fisheries
Vulnerability
Higher stream temperatures will degrade habitat
Adaptation strategy
Restore and maintain cold-water habitat
Vulnerabilities and Adaptation – Fisheries
Vulnerability
Higher stream temperatures will degrade habitat
Adaptation tactics
Map cold-water habitat
Restore side channels
Increase shade in riparian areas
Vulnerabilities and Adaptation – Vegetation
Vulnerability
Wildfire will burn more area and over a longer fire season
Adaptation strategy
Increase resilience of forest ecosystems to more frequent fire
Vulnerabilities and Adaptation – Vegetation
Vulnerability
Wildfire will burn more area and over a longer fire season
Adaptation tactics
Reduce stand densities
Accelerate hazardous fuel treatments
Manage for diversity of stand ages
Products
General Technical Report (GTR) – Intermountain Region Goal – publish in 2017
Webinars
Workshop Opportunities and Webinars
Website - http://www.adaptationpartners.org/iap/
New Releases
Posted on IAP Website: http://www.adaptationpartners.org/iap
Press releases and newspaper articles
Partnerships
What partners to invite into process? Partners that want to collaborate alongside FS. Possible partners include: NPS BLM LCCs Tribes States Counties Cities NGOs Universities Conservation Groups
How can partners get involved? Informational Collaborative Writer and/or reviews of a focus area chapter Contact Natalie Little, [email protected], or Dave Peterson, [email protected],
for more information
Next Steps
Develop partnerships and communications
Develop IAP email distribution list
Website updates
Newsletter updates
Aim and prepare for March 2016 webinars and May 2016 2-day meetings – partners welcome to attend
Next Steps – Share Information
Forest Service Climate Change Resource Center, http://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/
Thanks for attending!
Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP)
Partner and Informational Webinar
http://www.adaptationpartners.org/iap
June 11, 2015