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The Stand Against Climate Change

Authors:

Anthony D'Amato

Publication Type:
Journal Article
Year of Publication:
2014
Secondary Title:
International Innovation
Pages:
10-12
Year:
2014

Abstract

Increases in temperature and decreases in precipitation resulting from climate change will inevitably place the world's forests under mounting stress from extended periods of drought. As the Earth's primary aboveground carbon sinks, forests are key to the survival of the world as we know it, so drought-induced forest destruction is a global issue. Forest managers are consequently under pressure to adopt approaches that might, at best, restore forests to their historical levels of ecological functionality and productivity, or, at the very least, maintain current functions and services. Generally, courses of action proposed to achieve either goal centre on one of two main strategies: mitigation of climate change effects by increasingly the capacity of the forests to sequester carbon; or employing adaptation strategies to increase the resilience and resistance of forests to drought and other stresses.