Screen capture from the CCRF website

Climate Change Response Framework

This collaborative, cross-boundary approach among scientists, managers, and landowners incorporates climate change considerations into natural resource management.

The Climate Change Response Framework is a collaborative effort that addresses the major challenges that land managers face when considering how to integrate climate change into their planning and management, bridging the gap between scientific research on climate change impacts and on-the-ground natural resource management. The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) leads the Framework, with support from many partners (see partial list, and a link to the full list, at right).

Climate change has the potential to affect areas much larger than any single ownership, making multi-institutional efforts and partnerships instrumental for adaptation. The Framework was designed as a model for collaborative climate change response across large and diverse landscapes, providing a broad approach that can be adjusted and applied to other locations and landscapes. Currently, the Framework is being applied in several locations in the eastern U.S. through coordinated place-based projects: Central Appalachians, Central Hardwoods, Mid-Atlantic, New England, Northwoods, and Urban Forests.

Flowchart outlining the CCRF framework process

The Framework process is designed to continually incorporate new information, ideas, and lessons learned into the products and activities. It was conceived as a model for collaborative management and climate change response across large and diverse landscapes and has proven to be extremely successful.

The hallmark of the Framework is the high level of cross-boundary collaboration throughout the forest sector, which is essential to coping with an issue that spans borders, disciplines, and perspectives. The Framework stretches across the boundaries of partners to invite participation of forestlands owned and managed by private individuals, forest industry, tribes, state, local, and federal agencies. It is supported in large part by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Eastern Region, and Northeastern Area. Framework activities also support the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub, part of the national network of the USDA Regional Climate Hubs, and provides forest and ecosystem sector-specific resources in the Midwest and Northeast.

Last modified
30 August 2021 - 1:46pm