This Handbook has been designed to provide initial guidance and insight into the topic of climate change adaptation as it relates to the forest based industry. The intended audience is forest industry planners, practitioners and other key decision makers with a direct interest in commercial aspects of future climate change risks and management responses. It covers:
- future climate scenarios;
- forestry and forest industry implications;
- possible impacts for forest regions;
- industry adaptation;
- enterprise level responses;
- approaches to uncertainty and risk management;
- barriers to adoption and uptake;
- broader socio-economic issues; and
- further reading.
The focus is on different types of climate risks and adaptation options for forest plantations managed for timber production. It does not address risks to native forests used for timber production or plantations used for other purposes.
As such, it should be regarded as a starting point for increasing awareness of likely hazards and management options rather than a detailed scientific understanding of all of the relevant issues. The reader is referred to the references and websites in the Handbook for further information. The Handbook is only a snapshot of the available information at the time of writing which will change in the course of time through additional research and knowledge of our understanding of future climate risks, tools and needs.
Plantation Forest Industry Climate Change Adaptation Handbook