Interdisciplinary Assessment of the Implications of Climate Change on the Province's Forest and Range Ecosystems and their Stewardship

Project Reference Number: 2009-17

Project Status: Active

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

Funded by: Future Forest Ecosystems Scientific Council

The purpose of this project is to build on the 2008/2009 FFEI provincial vulnerability assessment work and interpret the climate change impacts on BCs forest and range resources from a vulnerability perspective. Where vulnerability is a product of a systems's exposure and sensitivity to climate change, and its adaptive capacity (Johnson and Williamson 2007). This interpretation of vulnerability considers biophysical vulnerablity, such as hydrological and forest and range ecological vulnerablity , and socio-economic vulnerablity through BCs forest and range management framework. Encompassing the social and ecological, two specific objectives will be pursued:

  1. An interpretation of impacts from the perspective of confidence in potential change, exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity (vulnerablity), and
  2. An assessment of Forest and Range policy from a vulnerability perspective.


These objectives can then be used to help identify risks and help with the development of appropriate forest and range adaptation policy.