Climate Adaptation Training for Foresters

Project Overview

EW16-021
Project Type: Professional Development Program
Funds awarded in 2016: $58,461.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2019
Grant Recipient: Northwest Natural Resource Group
Region: Western
State: Washington
Principal Investigator:
Kirk Hanson
Northwest Natural Resource Group

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Additional Plants: ornamentals, trees

Practices

  • Crop Production: forestry
  • Education and Training: workshop
  • Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, habitat enhancement, wildlife

    Abstract:

    The purpose of this project was to train professional foresters and natural resource managers in Oregon and Washington to help woodland owners prepare for and adapt to climate change. In 2019, three full-day workshops covered priority climate adaptation topics for 141 participants. An educational series of 12 videos, geographically tailored to Washington or Oregon audiences, was released online and shared with a network of 3500 foresters and landowners. NNRG wrote and released white paper on climate adaptation tactics for natural resource managers, wrote and released a management plan template, and shared a series of three case studies describing climate adaptation issues on the ground. 

    Project objectives:

    NNRG and partners aimed to present information and tactics for climate adaptation in Northwest forests to a professional audience, providing them with the tools needed to implement changes in their approach. The messaging from the workshop curriculum was shared through several platforms, including video and white paper, to reach audiences with different learning preferences and time availability. Topics covered in the workshops, white paper, and videos included: 

    • climate change projections for the Pacific Northwest
    • likely effects on forest ecosystems in western Oregon and Washington
    • adaptation approaches and tactics
    • tools to inform management decisions
    • resources to refer to and share with clients
    • practice thinking through adaptation strategies
    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.