Forests across the Northwest are exposed to changes in the climate (e.g., hotter, drier summers), as well as changes in the disturbance processes that shape forests (e.g. wildfires, forest insects, and tree diseases). These disturbance processes are natural in forest systems, but when climate change increases their extent or severity, they can reduce the critical functions that forests provide ecologically and for society, such as habitat for wildlife, regulation of water and carbon, aesthetics and recreation opportunities.

Multiple research studies document potential adverse effects of climate change on forests in the Northwest. In response, government agencies and Tribes have developed vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans to manage forests for climate resilience. Yet this information remains less accessible to small forest landowners and is not presented in a way that makes it useful for them given the types of actions they may consider for managing their land.

Small forest landowners collectively own about 15 percent of forest land in Washington. The size of most private non-industrial forests are small (less than 20 acres), but the collective effect of adapting these lands to climate change can increase the overall resilience of the region's forests. For example, these lands can provide important wildlife corridors between larger parcels of state and federal land. These lands are also often intermixed with development and are therefore important for supplying and regulating clean water for drinking. These lands make up much of the wildland-urban interface that is most at risk from wildfire, so managing these lands for wildfire risk reduction can increase society’s overall resilience to wildfire.

Climate change presents new challenges for forest landowners, yet it can be difficult for forest landowners to access scientifically-robust information about how their forests may be affected and scientifically-supported actions they can take. Multiple resources exist to support forest landowners with management challenges – such as invasive species control, wildfire risk reduction, and riparian restoration – but these management actions also need to be modified to reflect changes in the climate. This project aims to fill this gap by providing regionally-specific, actionable and accessible science and management suggestions to small forest landowners.

The guides draw from scientific literature and documents developed by forest management agencies, and frame the information to be useful and actionable for small forest landowners. The guides synthesize the most relevant climate impacts on forests by region; each summary is paired with actions that landowners can take.

The guides are developed with a recognition that small forest landowners are highly diverse. They have different objectives for their land, different levels of knowledge and capacity to actively manage forests, and different levels of risk tolerance for both climate impacts and active management. Thus the actions presented cover a range of approaches to intervention and will be designed to provide options for landowners with different management objectives, levels of experience, and tolerance of the risks posed by climate change.

The guides will be shared and presented opportunistically through educational programs developed for small forest landowners, such as forest management education series led by Washington State University Extension.

Forest Ecosystems, Disturbance, and Climatic Change in Washington State, USA: This paper addresses the role of climate in four forest ecosystem processes and projects the effects of future climatic change on these processes across Washington State.

Puget Sound State of Knowledge: This paper is a comprehensive synthesis report summarizing relevant research on the likely effects of climate change on the lands, water, and people of the Puget Sound region.

Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Washington State–Technical Summaries for Decision Makers: This report summarizes existing knowledge about the likely effects of climate change on Washington State and the Pacific Northwest.