Introduction | Biodiversity | Tree Health | Carbon Credits | Forest Fires | Watershed
Adaptive
Forest Management Practices for Biodiversity with Climate Change
The largest changes in biodiversity along the I-90 Greenway Corridor are result of primarily human actions. In the Tiger Mountain area, very few old growth native species exist in a forest of primarily second and third growth stands. In some areas of the forest, the diversity of the species of trees has been altered significantly by the introduction of non-native species. In other areas, native species have been planted on different spatial scales than existed previously. The reason why this should concern forest managers concerned about climate change is that forests composed of introduced species or native species in unsuitable microclimates for their biological needs have a narrower range of survival when adverse climatic conditions arrive.
One of the largest
concerns for forest managers here is the loss of old growth which may threaten
the long term biodiversity in this climatic corridor. Because the area may be
subjected to high levels of stress due to the effects of warming temperatures
on snowpack and pest outbreaks, the areas where there are undisturbed forests
should be protected as climatic refugia. There are places that are more sheltered
than others from climate related events. These sites should be identified and
protected from logging and anthropogenic impacts to preserve the integrity of
the biodiversity in that site.
Another way to
protect biodiversity is to avoid fragmentation of the landscape by engendering
connectivity of forested lands, especially in areas where species have a narrow
range of survival due to temperature and moisture in the microclimates along
the altitudinal lines ascending to Snoqualmie Pass. If forests can be protected
in lowland areas and mid-range areas laterally, then there will be a greater
chance of survival for the species as trees in some areas undergo a great deal
of stress with reduced water levels or disturbance. It is important not to focus
solely on saving the narrow strip along the road as it gains in elevation, but
horizontally as well. Because climatic gradients (changes in altitude, precipitation,
and temperature) limit the range of survivability of certain species as you
move up the slope of the mountain, it is important to preserve the hardiest
native species in these areas through good forest management practices.
References
Dale et al., "Climate Change and Forest Disturbances", BioScience,
September 2001, Vol. 51 No 9, 723-734.
Noss, Reed F., "Beyond Kyoto: Forest Managment in a Time of Rapid Climate Change", Conservation Biology, June 2001, Vol. 15 No 3, 578-598.