Bulkley Valley Research Centre

A Multi-Scale Trans-Disciplinary Vulnerability Assessment

Project Reference Number: 2009-12

Project Status: Active

Led by: Don Morgan, Research Branch, Ministry of Forests and Range, Smithers

Funded by: Future Forest Ecosystems Scientific Council

Adaptation to climate change requires revision of the current forest management framework to reflect new science on climate-related impacts, but also requires structural changes to the framework. Revisions include re-evaluation of existing practice in light of the potential impacts of climate change and contemplation of new objectives such as sequestering carbon and promoting resilience. Structural changes include a more sophisticated approach to management planning that adequately considers risk and uncertainty. The approach must be long term, able to incorporate and respond to new information as the impacts of climate change become apparent to science, and it must serve the multiple parties that participate in management at different scales. In particular, national interests in carbon sequestration and the fate of forest dependent communities should be considered more than they are currently. This project will develop and test methods to evaluate and adapt existing management plans.

The project has 4 components;

1) Management Unit Vulnerability Assessment,

2) Management Unit Adaptation Policy,

3) Multi-scale Vulnerability Assessment, and

4) Livelihood Assessment.