Building on the last new thing: exploring the compatibility of ecological and adaptation silviculture

Sustaining the structure, function, and services provided by forest ecosystems in the face of changing climate and disturbance regimes represents a grand challenge for forest managers and policy makers. To address this challenge, a range of adaptation approaches have been proposed centered on conferring ecosystem resilience and adaptive capacity; however, considerable uncertainty exists regarding how to translate these broad and often theoretical adaptation frameworks to on-the-ground practice. Complicating this issue has been movement away, in some cases, from other recent advances in forest management, namely ecological silviculture strategies that often focus on restoration. In this paper, we highlight the areas of compatibility and conflict between these two frameworks by reviewing the four principles of ecological silviculture (continuity, complexity and diversity, timing, and context) from the perspective of global change adaptation. We conclude that given many commonalities between the outcomes of ecological silviculture and conditions conferring adaptive capacity, the four principles remain a relevant starting point for guiding operationalization of often theoretical adaptation strategies.

Automated summary

This paper discusses the challenge of adapting forest ecosystems to climate change and disturbances, highlighting the compatibility and conflicts between ecological silviculture principles and adaptive frameworks. The conclusion suggests that the four principles of ecological silviculture can still serve as a relevant starting point for implementing adaptation strategies.