Establishing the future forest through collaborative research and management: DREAM

Authors

  • Christel C. Kern US Forest Service
  • Alejandro A. Royo USDA Forest Service, Research and Development
  • Patricia Raymond Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts du Québec

Keywords:

assisted forest migration, climate adaptive silviculture, climate analog modeling, future-climate adapted seedlots, management scenario forecasting

Abstract

Forested assisted migration (AM) is a climate-adaptation strategy entailing the deliberate movement of individuals or genetic material from native source populations to locations either within or beyond their current ranges.  Managers use this strategy to establish forests today that can thrive and sustain goods and services in expected future climate conditions. Although several AM trials are underway, implementing AM operationally is limited by major knowledge gaps and decision support tools. These shortcomings represent a critical problem because establishment of potentially maladapted selections and/or inappropriate silvicultural strategies creates major risk to management timeframes and financial resources. The Desired Regeneration through Assisted Migration (DREAM) project is an international collaboration of research and managers that seeks to specifically address these knowledge gaps and necessary tools to successfully plan and execute FAM plantings.  DREAM experiments are underway in northern hardwood and temperate forests of Wisconsin and Quebec. 

Author Biography

Christel C. Kern, US Forest Service

Dr. Christel Kern is a Research Forester at the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station in Rhinelander.  She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Her work includes leading and developing research-management partnerships to address critical knowledge gaps in sustainable forest management.  Outside of work, Christel enjoys coaching cross country ski and soccer. 

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Published

2023-10-31

Conference Proceedings Volume

2023: Leveraging Technology to Improve Silviculture and the Digitalization of the Value Chain

Section

Proceedings