Climate change adaptation: the case of temperate public forests

Abstract

Global changes cause many problems which directly impact forests and the foresters who manage them. One of the effects of global climate change may be an increased number of trees dying out or emerging threats to forest sustainability from pathogens. There are two possible ways to act in these situations: coping or adapting. The first type of response is anticipated, needed and indicating a profound change and behavior adjustment. The other type of action involves merely reacting without introducing in-depth changes. The current study sought to determine whether the response of foresters managing temperate zone state forests is appropriate to the occurring global changes. For this purpose, questionnaire interviews were conducted with selected foresters employed by the State Forests. Foresters were given an opportunity to describe their methods of counteracting negative changes in the forest environment caused (in their opinion) by global changes. Subsequently, these statements were classified by researchers as being either coping or adapting to change. The results of a qualitative analysis indicate that foresters in the State Forests are engaged in activities that may be classified as adapting to global changes rather than coping with them. The implications of this analysis for forest policy and management are also discussed.