Your Forest in a Changing Climate
A healthy and resilient forest is a productive forest.
Whether your goals for your woodlot include timber volume, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, recreation, or all of the above - managing your woodlot for the future means making decisions today that take our changing climate into consideration.
Since 2018, NBFWO has been working to build the capacity of small private woodlot owners to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Our goal has been to educate woodlot owners so they are better able to make management decisions for their woodlots that not only meet their own goals for their woodlot but also take into consideration the impacts of a changing climate, potential carbon sequestration, and implementation of best management practices, resulting in forests that are more climate resilient.
Our work has been supported by Natural Resources Canada, GNB's Environmental Trust Fund and the work of many parnter organizations.
It started with the 'Building the Capacity of New Brunswick Woodlot Owners to Adapt to Climate Change' project. The title of the project may have been long, but the outcomes from it will last even longer!
Between 2019-2022, the NBFWO led a project to build the capacity of small private woodlot owners to adapt to changing environmental conditions. This project was supported by Natural Resources Canada’s Building Regional Adaptation Capacity and Expertise (BRACE) Program, GNB’s Environmental Trust Fund, as well as through work by our project partners, Community Forests International, University of New Brunswick and the NB Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development.
How did we do it?
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We created a climate adaptive silviculture prescription tool, with guidleines that incorporate climate change adaptation and carbon sequestration (aka "the Tool").
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We held workshops and webinars with woodlot owners and forestry professionals to raise awareness about climate change impacts on forests in New Brunswick.
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We created a training video series.
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We held a 2-day online conference in 2022 highlighting the work of the project and some of the research work being done by other groups and UNB masters students.
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We created a Case Study to compare how forests are impacted by different silvicuture treatments. We established study sites on 4 woodlots throughout the province, each containing a Control plot, a Climate Adaptive treatment plot, and a plot that was treated with 'Traditional' methods. These sites will continue for many years as we watch, record and learn from them.
Use the tabs above to learn more - explore the Case Study, watch the video series and recordings from the webinars and conference, download "the Tool".
In 2024, we started a new out-reach program on 'Climate-Smart Woodlot Management'. We held learning days on each of the 4 case study sites that consisted of a morning session learning about climate change and it's anticipated impacts on our region, followed by an afternoon exploring the sites with the land owners and a forester, and discussing how specific sites require specific interventions.
By the end of March 2025, we will have a new guide available for woodlot owners, so stay tuned!
Supported by Natural Resources Canada’s Building Regional Adaptation Capacity and Expertise (BRACE) Program
