Managing the Risk of Climate Change to Wildlands of the Sierra Nevada

From the Wilderness Society, this research paper is intended to identify issues that must be analyzed as part of the forest plan revision process in the Sierra Nevada, and offers methodologies to assist the Forest Service in assessing the risks of climate change to ecosystems and developing plans for climate change adaptation.

This paper provides a framework for considering climate change impacts in the land management planning process and demonstrates how analysis can facilitate the development of a plan that helps manage the risks of climate change to the environment. The first section describes the legal, regulatory, and guidance context for incorporating climate change in planning. Changing the emphasis from the production of outputs to the management of risk of ecosystems to climate impacts is then addressed. The report also includes a process for assessing risk from climate change, and a number of approaches that should be applied to the management of the risks identified in the assessment, including scenario planning. The paper closes with specific recommendations to adequately address climate change in the planning process for the Sierra Nevada. Specifically, an outline of provisions for consideration in the NEPA analysis, including in the development of the forest plan and the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are outlined.

Publication Date: April 2010

Authors or Affiliated Users:

  • Gregory H. Aplet
  • Michael H. Anderson
  • Bo Wilmer

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Resource Types:

  • Scenario planning

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