While forest-assisted migration (FAM) offers a potential way to reduce risks to ecosystem function in the face of climate change, it lacks widespread acceptance as a management tool. A recent article published by researchers on a Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center-funded project offers a path toward advancing the practice.
Published in October 2022 in Ecosphere, the article puts forth three case studies of operational-scale FAM. Each study took place in the eastern forest region of the U.S., specifically in the red pine forests and black ash wetlands of northern Minnesota and the northern hardwoods and mixedwood forests of New England. These studies illustrate how the practice can be approached pragmatically, despite real and perceived barriers to implementation.
Additionally, the authors discuss the concept of operational-scale FAM, why it remains controversial, and how to advance its use. They conclude that three things are needed to achieve routine operational-scale use of FAM in managed forests:
- Continued training of forest managers, conservationists, and ecologists in use of climate change adaptation approaches.
- Willingness to assume some risk of failure in the near term due to maladaptation.
- Adopting an ecosystem focus for management that is not dependent on any particular tree species.
Read the article in Ecosphere here.
Read more about this project here.