Planning for Climate Change Sample Clauses

Planning for Climate Change. The rapid growth of the average global temperature in the past thirty years and the possibility of the next hundred years rising by 3-6°C, will require substantial consideration when planning the management of current operations. The management strategies that have been modeled into the TSA completed by Forsite Consultants are based on the ‘best available information’ along with a host of educated assumptions in terms of selecting suitable tree species that will tolerate the shifting climate envelope. Keeping diversity at the forethought will be important when selecting a variety of leave trees and seedlings, as diverse stands are known to be more resilient to insect and disease. Much of the CVFC’s area is directly adjacent to homes and private land, therefore treating stands that fall victim to pest and disease epidemics will be crucial in reducing fire hazard. This may include the removal of dead stands or the use of trap trees to prevent further damage. Another target for reducing fire hazard will be treating fuel levels in areas that are in close proximity to communities and residences. Removal of dense timber and thick underbrush will aid in slowing the spread and intensity of a fire in the event of its occurrence. Another fundamental planning consideration with regards to climate change will be to ensure the preservation of landscape connectivity. There has been renewed interest on managing for connectivity (Conservation Planning in the face of Climate Change, Kutenai – 2015). CVFC’s management area has networks of important wildlife corridors, which connect the valley bottom to the upper mountains. As temperatures warm, protected corridors will provide routes of travel for wildlife migrating in search of new areas supporting the same habitat they once occupied. CVFC’s management philosophy is that forest management cannot be excluded from a watershed and that a passive approach to management is not a sustainable forest strategy to ecosystems that have a substantial history of natural disturbance. Simply allowing for decades of fuel to accumulate in order leave an area in its ‘natural state’ will inevitably translate into decades of recovery following a catastrophic wildfire. In essence, fuel management and water management have become inextricably linked.