Adaptation to climate

Populations of forest trees will be challenged in the coming century by the need to adapt or migrate in response to climatic warming. The mountain pine beetle epidemic has provided an early warning signal of the speed and magnitude with which climate-related disturbances can strike. Climate change needs to be considered in all aspects of forest genetic resource management, whether in evaluating the likelihood of persistence of conservation populations in protected areas and the need for management intervention, assessing the risks and benefits of human facilitated migration of populations, or choosing seed sources for reforestation given climatic uncertainty. The CFCG is involved in research related to all of these areas.