Abstract
Recent interest in sustainable forest management planning in the Yukon has coincided with growing public awareness of climate change, providing an opportunity to explore how forestry plans are incorporating climate change. In this paper, the Strategic Forest Management Plans for the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations Traditional Territory (CATT) and the Teslin Tlingit Traditional Territory (TTTT) are examined for evidence of adaptation to climate change. For each plan, management policies and practices that are also recognized as ways to adapt to climate change are identified to provide information on the incremental costs and benefits of additional adaptation efforts. A typology for classifying sustainable forest management plans according to how they address climate change is proposed and applied to the CATT and TTTT plans. This typology, which may be useful to any future retrospective assessments on how successful these or other sustainable forest management plans have been in addressing and managing the risks posed by climate change, consists of a matrix that categorizes plans into one of four types; (1) proactive-direct, (2) proactive-indirect, (3) reactive-direct, and (4) reactive-indirect. Neither of the plans available for the southern Yukon explicitly identifies climate change vulnerabilities and actions that will be taken to reduce those vulnerabilities and manage risks. However, both plans have incorporated some examples of ‘best management practices’ for sustainable forest management that are also consistent with appropriate climate adaptation responses. Even in a jurisdiction facing rapid ecological changes driven by climate change, where there is a relatively high level of awareness of climate change and its implications, forestry planning processes have yet to grapple directly with the risks that climate change may pose to the ability of forest managers to achieve the stated goals and objectives of sustainable forest management plans.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Montréal Process criteria are: 1—conservation of biological diversity; 2—maintenance of productive capacity of forest ecosystems; 3—maintenance of forest ecosystem health and vitality; 4—conservation and maintenance of soil and water resources; 5—maintenance of forest contribution to global carbon cycles; 6—maintenance and enhancement of long-term socio-economic benefits to meet the needs of societies; and 7—legal, institutional and economic framework for forest conservation and sustainable management (Montréal Process Working Group 1999).
The four goals the plan are (a) functioning forest ecosystems, (b) community sustainability and benefits, (c) cooperative forest planning and management, and (d) build local capacity. The plan may be viewed at www.caforestry.ca.
The five goals the plan are (a) conserve biological diversity, (b) maintain forest ecosystem health and productivity, (c) conserve and maintain soil and water resources (d) maintain and enhance multiple socio-economic benefits and (e) maintain and enhance community sustainability. The plan may be viewed at http://www.emr.gov.yk.ca/forestry/.
The timber supply analysis and rationale for the harvest level may be viewed at www.caforestry.ca.
References
Adger WN, Agrawala S, Mirza MMQ, Conde C, O’Brien K, Pulhin J, Pulwarty R, Smit B, Takahashi K (2007) Assessment of adaptation practices, options, constraints and capacity. In: Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP, van der Linden PJ, Hanson CE (eds) Climate change 2007: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK
Alsek Renewable Resource Council (ARRC) (2004) Strategic forest management plan for the Champagne and Aishihik traditional territory: community directions for a sustainable forest. Government of Yukon, Whitehorse
Apps MJ, Marsden J (eds) (2000) The role of boreal forests and forestry in the global carbon budget. Abstracts of the International Science Conference May 8–12, 2000. Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Edmonton, Alberta, p 326
Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) (2004) Impacts of a warming Arctic: Arctic climate impact assessment overview report. Cambridge Univ. Press, New York
Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) (2006) Criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management in Canada: National Status Report 2005. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, p 162
Connectivity Planning Technical Working Group (2008) Landscape-scale connectivity plan for the Champagne and Aishihik traditional territory. Government of Yukon and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Whitehorse, Yukon
Davidson DJ, Williamson T, Parkins JR (2003) Understanding climate change risk and vulnerability in northern forest-based communities. Can J For Res 33:2252–2261
Easterling WE, Hurd WH, Smith JB (2004) Coping with global climate change: the role of adaptation in the United States. Pew Centre on Global Climate Change, Arlington
Folke C, Colding J, Berkes F (2002) Synthesis: building resilience and adaptive capacity in social–ecological systems. In: Berkes F, Colding J, Folke C (eds) Navigating social–ecological systems: building resilience of complexity and change. Cambridge Univ. Press, New York
Ford J, Pearce T, Smit B, Wandel J, Allurut M, Shappa K, Ittusujurat H, Qrunnut K (2006) Reducing vulnerability to climate change in the Arctic: the Case of Nunavut, Canada. Arctic 60(2):150–166
Garbutt RW (1998) Yukon forest health report (1998). Natural Resources Canada and Government of Yukon, Whitehorse
Garbutt RW (2006) Yukon forest health report (2005). Natural Resources Canada and Government of Yukon, Whitehorse
Garbutt RW, Hawkes BC, Allen EA (2007) Spruce beetle and the forests of the southwest Yukon. Natural Resources Canada, Victoria
Gitay H, Brown S, Easterling W, Jallow B (2001) Ecosystems and their goods and services. Chapter 5. In: McCarthy JJ, Canziani OF, Leary NA, Dokken DJ, White KS (eds) Climate Change 2001: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Contribution of working group II to the third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK, p 1042
Government of Yukon (1999) Yukon Timber Harvest Planning and Operating Guidebook (THOPG). Whitehorse, Yukon
Government of Yukon (2000) Talking to the people: Teslin area resident survey. Government of Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon
Government of Yukon (2007a) Yukon wildfire statistics from 1950 to 2006. See http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/firemanagement/sts46.html. Cited July 2007
Government of Yukon (2007b) Yukon forest planning framework. See http://www.emr.gov.yk.ca/forestry/planning_framework.html
Government of Yukon and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations Government (2007) Integrated Landscape Plan for the Champagne and Aishihik Traditional Territory (ILP). Whitehorse, Yukon
Hauer G, Williamson T, Renner M (1999) Socio-economic impacts and adaptive responses to climate change: a Canadian forest perspective. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre. Edmonton, Alberta Informal Report NOR-XS-373
Holling CS (ed) (1978) Adaptive environmental assessment and management. Wiley, New York
Juday GPV, Barber P, Duffy H, Linderhorm S, Rupp S, Sparrow E, Vaganov, Yarie J (2005) Forests, land management and agriculture. In: Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ed) Arctic climate impact assessment: scientific report. Cambridge Univ. Press, New York
McKinnon A (2006) Climate change in our backyard: Proceedings from Workshop in Haines Junction, Yukon, March 31–April 2, 2006. Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and Alsek Renewable Resource Council, Whitehorse
Montréal Process Working Group (1999) The Montréal Process—explanatory brochure of the Montréal process. http://www.mpci.org/rep-pub/1995/santiago_e.html. Cited July 2007
Morgan MG, Pitelka LF, Shevliakova E (2004) Elicitation of expert judgments of climate change impacts on forest ecosystems. Clim Change 49(3):279–307
Nanjam A, Rahman AA, Huq an S, Sokona Y (2003) Integrating sustainable development into the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Policy 3:S9–S17
Ogden AE (2006) Overview report: forest management in a changing climate: building the environmental information base for the southwest Yukon. Northern Climate ExChange, Whitehorse, Yukon Available for download at http://www.yukon.taiga.net/swyukon/
Ogden AE (2007) Forest management in a changing climate: building the environmental information base for the southwest Yukon. For Chron 83(6):806–809
Ogden AE, Innes JL (2007a) Incorporating climate change adaptation considerations into forest management and planning in the boreal forest. Int For Rev 9(3):713–733
Ogden AE, Innes JL (2007b) Perspectives of forest practitioners on climate change adaptation in the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada. For Chron 83(4):557–569
Ogden AE, Innes JL (2007c) Application of a structured decision-making approach to the identification and evaluation of climate change adaptation options for forest management in the southwest Yukon, Canada. Manuscript in review
Ogden AE, Innes JL (2007d) Forest renewal strategies for a boreal forest impacted by climate change: an evaluation of alternative management strategies. Manuscript in review
Ohlson DW, McKinnon GA, Hirsch KG (2005) A structured decision-making approach to climate change adaptation in the forest sector. For Chron 81(1):97–103
Parmesean C, Yohe G (2003) A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems. Nature 421:37–42
Price DT, Apps MJ (1996) Boreal forest responses to climate-change scenarios along an ecoclimatic transect in central Canada. Clim Change 34(2):179–190
Schmitz OJ, Post TE, Burns CE, Johnston KM (2003) Ecosystem responses to global climate change: moving beyond color mapping. BioScience 53(12):1199–1205
Scholze M, Knorr W, Arnell NW, Prentice IC (2006) A climate change risk analysis for world ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103(35):12116–13120
Spittlehouse DL (2005) Integrating climate change adaptation into forest management. For Chron 81(5):691–695
Spittlehouse DL, Stewart RB (2003) Adaptation to climate change in forest management. BC J Ecos Mgmt 4(1):1–11
Teslin Renewable Resource Council (TRRC) (2007) Strategic forest management plan for the Teslin Tlingit traditional territory: strategic direction for sustainable forest resource development. Government of Yukon, Whitehorse
Tough G (2002) Yukon forestry issues: a reality check and a new direction. A report to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Van Kooten GC (1995) Climate change and Canada’s boreal forest. Socio-economic issues and implications for land use. Clim Change 43(1):133–148
Yohe GW, Lasco RD, Ahmad QK, Arnell NW, Cohen SJ, Hope C, Janetos AC, Perez RT (2007) Perspectives on climate change and sustainability. In: Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP, van der Linden PJ, Hanson CE (eds) Climate change 2007: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK
Acknowledgements
The financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council under the Canada Graduate Scholarship program is gratefully acknowledged. The authors also wish to thank the anonymous referees for their valuable suggestions during the preparation of this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11027-008-9148-3
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ogden, A.E., Innes, J.L. Climate change adaptation and regional forest planning in southern Yukon, Canada. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 13, 833–861 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-008-9144-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-008-9144-7