[CANUFNET] Climate change adaptation strategies

Wed Feb 15 15:51:18 EST 2017

Hi Amber,
We worked with Metro Vancouver to develop an urban forest climate
adaptation framework and a guidebook for using trees to maximize climate
adaptation benefits (both attached) as a resource for greater Vancouver
municipalities. We classified species as regionally native, BC native and
non-native in the database but the framework doesn't address assisted
migration in detail or tackle the definition of biotic nativeness - rather
it acknowledges the need for ongoing research given the uncertainty. Please
let me know what comes out of your work!
Cheers,
Amelia.

*Amelia Needoba | Senior Urban Forester, PMP, ISA Cert. Arb*
3551 Commercial Street | Vancouver | V5N 4E8
Diamond Head Consulting <http://www.diamondheadconsulting.com/>
<http://www.diamondheadconsulting.com/> P *604.733.4886 <604.733.4886>** ext.
33* F *604.733.4879 <604.733.4879>*

On Mon, Feb 13, 2017 at 5:51 AM, Amber Cantell via CANUFNET <
canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:

> Good afternoon everyone,
>
> I am with the Trees & Forests Advisory Committee here in London, Ontario,
> and our committee is currently exploring ways the City's urban forestry
> program could begin preparing for climate change. Projections for our area
> for 2050 indicate upwards of 5 degrees in warming; by the end of the
> century, it could be as high as 14 (based on some of the newest studies).
> Consequently, we're feeling motivated to get to work (and planting) while
> we still have some time.
>
> I was curious to know what other municipalities, specifically, are doing
> to plan for climate change within their urban forestry program.
>
> It seems that so far, there is widespread acknowledgement of the massive
> impacts climate change is going to have on trees and forests, but few
> concrete steps being taken to prepare for it. It also seems that most of us
> (and other organizations in the national and provincial park systems, etc.)
> are at the point where we're all sort of holding our breath with regards to
> assisted migration - I've read an enormous number of articles about
> organizations preparing for and discussing the idea, but no one seems to
> want to be the first to undertake it.... at least not in any official sense
> beyond the "research" phase. It was interesting to hear about Andrew Almas'
> study that showed that most municipalities are effectively already
> unintentionally doing assisted migration (which makes sense in light of how
> incredibly easy it is to buy plants from all sorts of places around the
> world and the lack of regulation there), but, given the risks it could
> involve, it'd be nice to see something being done in a purposeful and
> thoughtful fashion. I have to admit to being personally curious about what
> the point is where we "pull the trigger" - I imagine many of you have been
> having similar thoughts.
>
> In the meantime, our team has been working on coming up with a set of
> recommendations for London. So far, we have:
>
> - *Move from a blanket "Non-Native" vs. "Native" classification system*
> to one where instead of just using "Native", we would have "Native" (for
> plants native to our area pre-European settlement) and "Continentally
> Native" (for species not currently native to London, but native to
> continental North America, and therefore may potentially expand into our
> area), and then using "Non-Native" for anything from elsewhere on the
> planet. This approach would recognizing that it is natural for species
> ranges to move north or south across the continent in response to climate,
> but still allow us to do our best to exclude invasive species from other
> continents (by far the bulk of the "invasive" species we deal with).
>
> - *Defining principles for assisted migration* here in London and at what
> stage we would consider what option (bringing up southern-adapted seed of
> already native species vs. introducing new species, etc.)
>
> - *Selecting a citywide "climate planning scenario" to create consistency
> between different departments* in terms of what climate we are planning
> for. Ultimately, the choice for what climate to plan for is a political one
> (as it's based on what we think people will manage to accomplish in terms
> of reducing emissions), but it is one that needs to be made, as it should
> particularly bearing on forestry and stormwater infrastructure planning.
>
> We've seen some ad hoc efforts to plan based on a specific scenario (for
> example, one stormwater study in 2009 appears to have planned for a
> scenario where emissions were assumed to have increased between 2000 and
> 2009 but then cease in 2009), but nothing citywide as of yet.
>
> As a part of this, we would also likely be recommending that our city set
> a schedule for checking on how projections are comparing with the IPCC
> updates, and have capacity to move to a worse or better scenario as the
> decades progress, based on how successful we are - or aren't - in reducing
> emissions.
>
> - *Creating a "Climate Change Sister City" network* to link communities
> with "analogous climates" to share resources and suppliers - for example,
> linking London to a city in the U.S. that has, today, the climate we might
> be expecting for 2050.
>
> By any chance are there any communities out there already undertaking any
> of these ideas, or have suggestions for other ideas we may wish to consider
> for London?
>
> Many thanks!
> Amber
>
> --
>
> Amber Cantell
>
> Director of Programs, ReForest London
>
> 519-936-9548 x224 <(519)%20936-9548>
>
> reforestlondon.ca <http://www.reforestlondon.ca>
>
>
>
>
> *Be one in a million! Register your planted trees today at milliontrees.ca
> <http://www.milliontrees.ca>*
>
> Join the challenge and help us spread the word!
> facebook.com/MillionTreeChallenge
> facebook.com/reforestlondon <http://facebook.com/reforest>
> @rfldn
>
>
>
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