Forest climate change adaptation

Adaptation identifies and implements the measures necessary to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change, helping maintain the health and biodiversity of forests. While mitigation activities reduce the rate and magnitude of climate change. Adaptation addresses impacts from climate change that are already happening and will occur in the future.

Climate change poses significant challenges to ensuring Canada’s forests remain healthy, resilient and biodiverse. Climate change impacts on forests will differ across the country, but the overall effects will be negative.

Adaptation offers a variety of options for forest professionals to support the breadth of ecosystem services provided by forests, such as carbon storage, water purification and timber production, within the context of a rapidly changing climate. Click here for tools and resources to support adaptation .

Pursuing adaptation in forest management involves several steps, including:

Understanding the context of climate change and its impacts on forests, including the current climate, the relationship between forests and climate, and potential future scenarios
Assessing climate change risks to forests to understand where adaptation is needed
Identifying and implementing adaptation options, monitoring outcomes, and making adjustments where needed

Many uncertainties exist about how, and to what extent, climate change will affect Canada’s forests. For example, extreme events like pest outbreaks, wildfires, droughts and floods are expected to increase in frequency and intensity. However, it is difficult to predict where and how those events will occur. This is why flexibility, alongside continuous monitoring, improvement, and adjustment, is critical to adaptation.

A role for everyone

Involving everyone in adaptation efforts—government, industry, academia, Indigenous peoples, communities and the public—is the most effective approach to building resilience to a changing climate. Effective communication and information sharing will help Canadians address shared problems and collaborate to solve them.

Adaptation activities can look different depending on the situation. These can include:

researchers and practitioners in the forest sector assessing adaptation needs and adaptation options, (informed by western and Indigenous knowledge systems)
federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments collaborating to help forest managers take adaptation action
Indigenous rights holders and communities practicing traditional land management, such as controlled burning, cultivation and management of culturally significant vegetation, and conserving culturally significant forests (See Natural Resources Canada’s Indigenous Seed Collection Program)

Tools and resources

The maps, databases, web applications and synthesis reports listed below are intended to help forest professionals of all types pursue adaptation. Please note that some of the links below will take you to external sites.

Current and future climate scenarios

Climate Atlas of Canada

Use an interactive tool to explore what climate change is, how it affects Canada and what these changes mean in our communities.

ClimateData.ca

Access high-resolution climate data and an interactive map to visualize and analyze how Canada’s climate will change.

Canadian Centre for Climate Services

Work directly with climate change experts to access information, training and support for climate change action.

CFS Climate Modelling

View historical data and future projections of temperature, precipitation and other climate variables.

Canada’s National Forest Inventory

Learn about the extent, state, and sustainable management of Canada's forests through maps, reports, documents and other resources.

Spatial Discrete Event Simulation (SpaDES)

Develop and run simulation models to visualize complex trade-offs and impacts of specific events on forests.

Forest Insect and Disease Risk Maps

Access maps of native and non-native forest insects and diseases in Canada.

Power Analytics and Visualization for Climate Science (PAVICS)

Access and analyze climate data collections in a virtual laboratory.

Assessing vulnerability

Canada’s Plant Hardiness Zones

View plant hardiness zone maps and models to understand how climate niches may change for different species.

Forest Vulnerability Assessment Tool

Explore interactive maps to understand the vulnerability of Canada’s tree species to drought and migration failure.

Vulnerability of Tree Species to Climate Change

Explore how different tree species respond to climate stress.

A Guidebook for Assessing Vulnerability and Mainstreaming Adaptation

Learn how to assess vulnerability and include adaptation in your forest decision making.

Developing adaptation options

SeedWhere

Match seed sources to planting sites under current and future climates.

Assisted Migration

Learn about human-assisted movement of plants to more climatically suitable habitats.

Database of Adaptation Options

Search an inventory of adaptation options drawn from academic literature on the boreal forest.

Forestry Adaptation Practitioners Network

Join an interactive online community for sharing information and best practices on climate change vulnerability and adaptation in Canada’s forest sector.

Map of Adaptation Actions

Explore examples from across Canada to see how communities and sectors are adapting to a changing climate.

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