Climate change is impacting forest ecosystems around the world in novel ways, and forest management practices and policy must respond appropriately.
Forests play critical roles in regulating climate, storing carbon, and mitigating the worst effects of the climate crisis. In the face of a rapidly changing climate, sustainable forest management requires adapting our practices to ensure that these ecosystems continue to produce the invaluable services and benefits that people and the planet rely on them for. These tools, data, and insights lay the groundwork for FSC Canada’s ongoing process to update standards and guidance to better support forest managers in accounting for climate change.
In this three-part podcast series, we explore how FSC is considering climate change in both international and Canadian contexts. We present practical tools to support Forest and Resource Managers in accounting for climate change and discuss important insights that Indigenous-led forest stewardship offers for understanding resilience. And we examine specific high-profile impacts such as wildfire, learning from experts about what to expect and how management practices might adjust in response.
Join us as we talk with an array of expert guests to understand from multiple perspectives how forests serve as climate solutions.
This three-part podcast series is a collaboration between FSC Canada and FSC Denmark. Loa Worm, Director, Strategy and Development, FSC Denmark is the host of the renowned podcast series Forest For the Future – delivering over 80 thoughtful conversations about the most pressing issues facing forests and society.
Episode 1: Climate Change and FSC – Setting the Stage
This episode provides listeners with a high-level understanding of climate change and its impacts on forests and forestry. We discuss the difference between mitigation and adaptation, and how forest management practices can support both. We also discuss the benefits of accounting for climate change in resource management, including the vast hidden costs of inaction.
Episode 2: Climate Change and FSC – What is a Climate Vulnerability Assessment?
In episode 2, we introduce listeners to current good practice in the field of climate change adaptation. Our guests describe the history, evolution, and current use of climate vulnerability assessment frameworks, a key tool for understanding climate risk and making informed adaptation decisions. Drawing on extensive experience using Climate Vulnerability Assessment to support the forestry industry in building climate resilient management practices, we discuss an interesting case study of a Saskatchewan forestry company.
Episode 3: Climate Change and FSC – Managing for Climate Impacts
This final episode in the series explores how forests can be managed for climate change impacts. We discuss high-profile climate impacts, such as wildfire, insect infestation and flooding, and how these affect other forest-based services and values. We learn about how Indigenous management practices are driving important changes in how forest management is understood, and we discuss shifts in how concepts like “forest health”, “ecological integrity” and “resilience” are defined in the context of a changing climate.
Stay tuned for further details when the podcasts launch this February.
