pierre bernier iufro2014
TRANSCRIPT
Uncertainty in forest management planning: why it will not go away and what should we
do about it
Pierre BernierNatural Resources Canada / Canadian Forest Service
IUFRO World Congress 2014
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Presentation plan:
•The climate is changing
•Society is changing
•We have to adapt
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The different scales of forest management
1- Operational / tactical (short-term): Harvest scheduling, stand tending, sylviculture, access maintenance and planning
Uncertainties related to:• Wood quantity and quality, distribution on the landscape• Short-term to medium-term market conditions
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3- Strategic, regional scale (medium to long-term): Sustainability targets, investment decisions, etc…
Uncertainties related to:• Tree growth and disturbance regimes• Long-term market conditions• Changing regulations / legislations / standards
The different scales of forest management
Trees take decades to grow but the past is
no longer a good analog of the future
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Source: IPCC
IPCC WG1 AR5, 2013 :« …since the 1950s, many
of the observedchanges are
unprecedented over decades to millennia... »
Climate change is a large cause of current and future
uncertainty
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Impacts on Canada’s forest sector are already detectable
Frest fires
Bark beetle attack on
Ponderosa pine
Droughts
Spruce budworm
Mountain Pine beetle
Aspen dieback Winter harvesting
issues
Increased growth??
Wind and ice storms
Smoke emissions
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Impacts are not l imited to Canada’s forests
Fires in US National Forests
USDA For Serv. 2013
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Impacts are not l imited to Canada’s forests
Wind storms in EU forests
EFI News July 2013
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Time=0
Climate change and global changes impose new
uncertainties in the projection of future states of forest
ecosystems.
Time=30, 50, 100 years
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•Societies’ expectations are changing with ensuing rapid changes in regulations and legislations
•Forest products are diversifying but with shorter l i fe cycle, making it difficult to forecast the future use of trees
•The market place is globalizing making it difficult to predict the future value of trees
Forestry and Society
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Sustainable management: maintenance of ecosystem
processes
Forest management: an evolving concept
Changes in public perception and expectations
Improvements in tracking capacity
Improvements in understanding of ecosystem processes
Sustained yield: maintenance of
timber flow
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Many uncertainties are linked to chaotic systems, or to elements whose drivers are not within the control of
the forest sector
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These uncertainties wil l not go away…
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The way forward…
1- Base decisions on mult iple futures:
Use multiple projection toolsUse multiple scenariosUse probabilistic approaches
For researchers:
Develop risk analysis for forest strategic planningDevelop optimisation tools that incorporate stochasticity
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2- Implement adaptive management approaches:
Predict
Verify
Adjust
Continuousdevelopment of
knowledge
Continuousmonitoring of forest status
Periodic comparisonof predictions versus
reality
Periodic re-alignment of management
goals and tools
LearnTry
Change
The way forward…
For researchers:•Development of monitoring •Study of trends / forecasts•Evaluation of vulnerabilities
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3- Mainstream changes…
Changes in legislative / regulatory frameworksIncorporation of risk and failureSupport for adaptation to an uncertain world
The way forward…
For researchers:
Evaluation of barriers to changeEnrichment of dialogues with forest managers/plannersTailoring of research to address pressing planning needs
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