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1 Introduction
Pages 1-10

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From page 1...
... Department of Agriculture (USDA) , which is responsible for the stewardship of all of the nation's forests, has long worked with private owners of forestland on forest management and preservation, but all forestland is facing intensified threats because of the long-term effects of global climate change.
From page 2...
... The Forest Service and NIFA were particularly concerned that most of these intermediaries lacked relevant expertise from the social and behavioral sciences and adult education. In response, an eight-person planning committee -- the Steering Committee on Engaging Family Private Forest Owners on Issues Related to Climate Change -- with expertise in human behavior, natural resource economics, risk assessment, communication, outreach and extension, and political and social sciences was assembled to plan and convene the requested public workshop.
From page 3...
... Forest Service and the USDA, and all other institutions that serve the forest sector, are eager for guidance from the social sciences in responding not only to a changing climate but also to demographic changes among forestland owners and other changes in the ways people interact with forests. Dynamic forests are part of the solution to climate change, he noted, because "if you want more carbon sequestration, you have to have healthier forests.
From page 4...
... , which summarizes current research and discusses adaptation and mitigation strategies. Drawing on that report, Vose looked first at how climate change will affect forest ecosystems in the United States.
From page 5...
... For forests, these changes will mean higher rates of growth where nutrients and soil moisture are available; reduced growth in forests with more limited water or that are affected by other disturbances; higher mortality of vegetation in drier areas; changes in habitat that will affect the distribution of plant and animal species; and changes in the hydrologic, nutrient, and carbon cycling processes. Indirect effects that come with these changes with particular significance for forests will include increased risk of fire, changes in insect and pathogen populations, and growth of invasive species.
From page 6...
... . will be affected by a warmer climate; Figure 1-2 illustrates how this sort of interaction may accelerate changes, using the example of forests in the southern United States.
From page 7...
... The pace and magnitude of climate change will
From page 8...
... The National Forests were originally envisioned as working forests with multiple objectives: to improve and protect the forest, to secure favorable water shed conditions, and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use of citizens of the United States. Forest management objectives have since expanded and evolved to include ecological restoration and protection, research and product de velopment, fire hazard reduction, and the maintenance of healthy forests.
From page 9...
... Scientists, landowners, policy makers, and land managers will need to work together to develop management plans, Vose said. But, he added, forestland owners will need to recognize that a tipping point4 has been reached, and that "they could lose their forest as they know it in a very rapid sequence of events -- wildfire, disease, drought, etc." Vose closed with the observation that "the amount of private land in the United States means that to keep forest ecosystems healthy, productive, and providing the services that society depends on, the private landowner [will be]


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