This paper explores how information about climate change and its impacts on the provision of forest products and services, influences forest planners’ decisions about forest management. It explains that research has found that when this information was presented to forest planners, it resulted in forest management actions being planned to occur at more appropriate times given likely climate change impacts.
Data were collected during workshops with eleven forest planners from three forest districts managing the National Forest Estate in Scotland. The workshops investigated the influence of climate change information on forest management actions concerning forest production, stand yields, carbon capture, and tourism.
The research also found that forest planners can hold a diversity of understandings about the impacts of climate change on the provision of future forest products and services; this can result in some of them finding it hard to make decisions about appropriate management actions and timescales.
Read New climate change information modifies frames and decisions of decision makers: an exploratory study in forest planning
Regional Environmental Change. Published online 24 July 2015.
Authors: Petr, M., Boerboom, L., Ray, D., and van der Veen, A. (2015)