Forest & Water Climate Adaptation

A Plan for the Nisqually Watershed

Adaptation planning

Nisqually Watershed – context

Forest resources & threats

Water resources & threats

Goals for resiliency

Mechanisms for adaptation

Implementation

Questions

Overview

Model Forest Policy Program’s Climate Solutions University

Adaptation vs. mitigation

Planning team

CAC Members: Jean Shaffer, Fred Michelson, Phyllis Farrell

Mount Rainier Nat’l Park: Roger Andrascik

JBLM: Nate Waldren

Adaptation Planning

Nisqually Watershed

239,000 acres of forestland

59,000 acres JBLM

39,900 acres Parks

80% of mainstemprotected

$287 million - $4.1 billion in Ecosystem Services

80,000+ residents

43,000 water users in Olympia

41,000 homes powered in Tacoma

Threatened/endangered species

20,000+ people expected by 2020s

Nisqually Tribe – sustenance, culture, economy

Timber economy – 11% of Lewis County private employment (0.6% nationally)

Homeowners – Wildland Urban Interface; floodplains

Nisqually Community

Land-use conversion + expanded development + high impact forest management =

Loss of canopy

Decreased carbon sequestration

Degraded ecosystem services

Increased WUI areas

Forest resources

Warmer air + changing precipitation =

longer dry seasons & wetter winters

Increased drought stress

Increase in natural disturbances - fire, insect & disease outbreaks (+ invasive species)

Shifts in species habitat –

80% loss of subalpine by 2080

Forests & climate change

Restoration efforts underway = high baseline

Drinking water, agricultural uses, hydroelectricity, salmon habitat, recreation, aesthetics…

Surface water & aquifers

20,000+ people expected by 2020s

Water resources

Water & climate change

Shifting hydrology

Increased heavy precipitation events

Warming temperatures

Sea level rise

Ocean acidification

Goals for resiliency

Restore and maintain forest cover that is healthy, resilient and widespread so that it provides cultural, recreational, ecological and economic benefits

Maintain healthy freshwater ecosystems support thriving native fish populations while providing cultural, economic and social benefits

Promote adaptation in the river delta environment by restoring it to a fully functioning ecosystem that is resilient to changing conditions and provides cultural, social, ecological and economic benefits

Provide sustainable funding and strong, engaged partnerships in order to successfully implement climate adaptation activities

Mechanisms of adaptation

Planning

Include climate language in guiding documents – NWSP

Prepare for changing fire regimes & increased winter flooding

Policy

Update plans, regulations to include climate projections

Increase resiliency in WUI and floodplain developments

Monitoring

Establish/continue watershed-wide forest and water monitoring

Annual adaptive management review

On-the-ground Actions

Restore tree canopy, especially in areas with snowpack

Continue to restore riparian areas

Reduce storm water runoff & increase tree cover in developed areas

Education/Outreach

Work with citizen scientists to include climate change

Citizen scientists & community forest?

Urban center connections: importance of healthy headwaters

Payment for ecosystem services?

Mechanisms of adaptation

Climate change is happening now. Adaptation efforts will increase resiliency in forest & water resources; local economies

December RFP

CSU Implementation Program

NRC Input:

Finalize action plan

Update NWSP

Include climate projections in current projects?

Implementation

Questions?