2014 Partnership Highlights
Best Available Science Fuels Vulnerability Assessments
The problem was too large, too complex, and the stakes were too high. A collaborative effort was needed to ensure a successful project. The potential benefits were considerable and immediate, especially for the Sierra, Inyo, and Sequoia National Forests, just beginning major forest plan assessment and revision efforts. Through a dedicated and intensive collaboration, the Eastern and Western Threat Centers worked closely with EcoAdapt, a non-governmental organization, to apply best available climate change science to identify vulnerabilities and management strategies for resources in the Southern Sierras. The work has expanded to include additional national forests in the California Sierras and the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.
The Eastern and Western Threat Centers provided a wealth of climate change science information through the web-based Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO). Regional experts applied TACCIMO in a vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning framework facilitated by EcoAdapt and funded by the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative. The final product was a concrete basis of climate change science ready for consideration in plan assessment documents, as well as the experiential learning of staff and stakeholders involved in the plan assessments through facilitated workshops. EcoAdapt, California LCC, and the Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region hosted participants at a Southern Sierras vulnerability assessment.
Forest Service Partners/Collaborators: Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assesment Center
External Partners/Collaborators: EcoAdapt; California Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Contact: Emrys Treasure, emrys.treasure@usda.gov
Right: The Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forest. Photo by USDA Forest Service.
