In January 2024, a Climate Adaptation Workshop was jointly held by Forest Service Region 3, the SW Climate Hub, SW Fire Science Consortium, and the ERI in Flagstaff, Arizona, bringing together resource managers from the Kaibab and Coconino national forests. This workshop focused on broad climate impacts in the region, how climate is currently impacting natural resources in the area, current issues managers are facing, as well as identified adaptation tactics that may be used in planning and implementation for future climate resilience.
The Region 3 Climate Adaptation Strategy was introduced and used to work through example case studies in break-out groups, where different areas of expertise worked together to identify current issues on these landscapes, major climate issues influencing these areas, and climate adaptation tactics that can be implemented to promote resilience, watershed health, wildlife habitat, and maintain the integrity of the landscape. Participants explored two project areas — a grassland on the Coconino NF and a post-burn landscape on the Kaibab NF where adaptation planning was applied using the R3 Climate Vulnerability Assessment and on-the-ground knowledge and observations. Rich discussions from this workshop provided a toolbox of adaptation tactics and tools mangers can use in planning and implementation.
Here’s what participants said about the workshop:
“Thank you for the training opportunity! I loved the engagement and having a robust team to bounce ideas off of.”
“Overall this was a great workshop! It was good spend time discussing these topics and network.”
