Science-Management Collaborations: Developing 

Adaptation Options for National Forests

Short Subjects from SAP 4.4 National Forests ♦ No. 3 ♦ March 2010

Climate is constantly changing, prompting natural and managed ecosystems to 

adjust. As a natural process, adaptation refers to the reactive changes that species and ecosystems make in response to environmental changes. With human 

intervention, adaptation refers to management actions and decisions that help ecological, 

social, and economic systems accommodate challenges imposed by climate change. Management actions can be developed to anticipate climate change and associated changes in 

natural disturbances such as fire and insects. Adaptation options for resource management 

may focus on the short term to forestall climate change impacts or on the long term to 

anticipate and manage ecosystem change.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) (formerly the U.S. Climate 

Change Science Program) prepares synthesis and assessment products to support policymaking and adaptation decisions regarding climate change. As part of the USGCRP 

Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP) Report 4.4 “Preliminary Review of Adaptation 

Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources,” adaptation options for three 

National Forests were identified using science-management collaborations.

Science-Management Collaboration

The goal of SAP Report 4.4 was to engage resource managers in a review of 

management options for adapting to climate variability and change in order to identify 

characteristics that promote successful implementation. Toward that goal, three National 

Forest staffs—Tahoe, Olympic, and Uwharrie—were invited to explore adaptation options 

in more depth. While the collaborative processes were tailored to each National Forest, the 

following is a general description of the process.

Scientists synthesized the 

current information on climate 

change and the resource impacts 

of climate change. Individual 

Forest information was presented in a workshop setting 

that spanned from a half day to 

two days. Following these presentations, a series of questions 

elicited feedback to ensure the 

available information was clear. 

These discussion questions also 

served to draw out the staffs’ 

experience with past weather 

events, natural disturbances, ecosystem responses to these events, and which past management actions proved successful. Options for adaptation management were developed, 

primarily by the National Forest staffs. Barriers to these options and opportunities to 

overcome them were discussed. This collaborative process brought together information 

Exploring Adaptation Options 

on National Forests

Land managers can bring a wealth 

of experience with weather events 

and resource management. Scientists 

can bring a wealth of information 

on climate change science. A series 

of focused questions can help start 

the dialogue between land managers 

and scientists on climate change in 

National Forests.

The initial question can be as simple 

as:

 What is your most pressing 

challenge with respect to climate 

change?

Questions can explore how 

management goals were affected 

by past weather events and what 

information would have been helpful 

to improve the management response 

at that time. Or questions can explore 

the management and planning 

environment for future climate 

change:

 What are the priorities for longterm resource management on a 

50-year horizon?

 What is the policy and regulatory 

environment in which management 

and planning are currently being 

developed?

 What are the biggest concerns and 

ecological and social sensitivities in 

a changing climate?

 What are adaptation opportunities 

and how can barriers to these 

opportunities be overcome?
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on key climate change impacts in the management context. These types of interactions enhanced the science-management 

partnership.

The National Forests

Each National Forest described in SAP 

4.4 has certain characteristics of interest, 

including different management contexts 

and settings, that qualify it as a useful 

model for examining climate change adaptation options.

The Tahoe National Forest (TNF) 

in California is representative of westslope Sierra Nevada forests with great 

ecological value and complex institutional 

contexts. Management is guided by the 

Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment 

(FPA), which specifies goals for reducing fire risk and protecting old forests and 

other habitats. Adaptive management is 

a key component of the FPA. The TNF 

can serve as a model for studying climate 

change impacts and adaptations across the 

Sierra Nevada.

The Olympic National Forest (ONF) 

in Washington is a rainforest that stretches 

from sea level to snow-capped mountains 

and supports a diverse set of ecosystem 

services. Numerous stakeholders and 

mandates are associated with ONF’s 

resources. Management objectives include 

enhancing native biodiversity, promoting 

the development of late-successional forests, and restoring and protecting aquatic 

ecosystems from the impacts of an aging 

road infrastructure.

The Uwharrie National Forest

(UNF) in North Carolina consists of 

Federal land intermingled with private 

land parcels and is experiencing an increasing demand for recreational opportunities. 

The combination of fragmented Federal 

land and high demand for ecosystem 

services will present management challenges 

as climate change affects resources such as 

regional water reserves.

Adaptation Opportunities

Following are a few of the adaptation options described by SAP 4.4 and 

examples of opportunities identified in 

the Tahoe, Olympic, and Uwharrie case 

studies.

Manage for drought- and heattolerant species to reduce potential 

stresses. In the UNF, re-establishing 

more fire- and drought-tolerant longleaf 

pine could improve resistance to severe 

fire disturbances and drought. Restoring 

historical sites of longleaf pine savannas 

on the UNF through logging or controlled 

burning would reduce water use, water 

stress, wildfire fuel loads, and wildfire risk 

as temperatures increase.

Reduce the impact of current 

anthropogenic stressors. The ONF plan 

recognizes that invasive species are best 

addressed using an early detection/rapid 

response approach. In the TNF, improving 

water infiltration to groundwater reservoirs 

(for example, by decreasing road densities) 

could reduce runoff and increase the quantity of groundwater storage for dry periods. 

Identify the current level of climate 

adaptation and coordinate planning 

efforts to share information about local 

adaptation options. On the TNF, a 

rapid assessment could identify the level 

of climate adaptation already incorporated in current land management plans 

and practices and could suggest areas for 

improvement. Coordinated revision of the 

land management plans for National Forests with similar natural resources offers 

an opportunity to develop regional-scale 

adaptations for similar ecosystems subject 

to similar stressors.

Conclusion

The Tahoe, Olympic, and Uwharrie 

case studies provide specific examples of 

opportunities and barriers to National 

Forest management under climate change. 

Studying the management opportunities 

Forest staffs identified reveals strategies 

and tools that might be effective in other 

National Forests. 

Additional Information

We provide only a brief overview of 

the National Forest chapter. Additional 

information and the scientific background 

for this overview can be found in SAP 

4.4: Preliminary Review of Adaptation 

Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems 

and Resources: A Report by the U.S. Climate 

Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research at http://

www.globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/saps/sap4-4. 

For a summary of frequently asked questions about climate change, see Climate 

Change and Ecosystems: Summary of Recent 

Findings: http://www.globalchange.gov/

images/stories/reports/SAPs/4.4%20

brochure.pdf. For more information 

about climate change and natural resource 

management, see the U.S. Forest Service 

Climate Change Resource Center Web 

site: http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc.