Your Woodlot and Climate Change
Existing natural systems, both terrestrial and aquatic, will be effected by climate change in the form of changing environmental conditions. Your woodlot may experience warmer temperatures, less rainfall, be subject to more extreme weather events, and have to cope with the changing ranges and behaviors of native insects and diseases or the spread of invasive plants and animals. Climate change will alter your local site conditions and the competitive balance between species that has existed in the past.
In some respects, maintaining forest health and diversity is perhaps the most important approach to enable forests to survive. Healthy forests are generally more resistant to pests and climate-induced stresses such as drought. Improving forest health and species diversity within the woodlot can be achieved by keeping a mix of age classes and tree species; controlling undesirable and invasive plant species; maintaining the genetic diversity within the woodlot; increasing the size of your forested areas if possible; and removing seriously diseased trees when harvesting if appropriate;
Speak to CVC forestry services about our tree planting programs and learn more about how you can enhance the health of your woodlot and help prepare it for future climate changes.
Downloads
- Climate Change and Ontario’s Provincial Parks: Towards an Adaptation Strategy (2.24 MB)
- Designing and Caring for Windbreaks (232 KB)
- EGS Factsheet - Carbon Storage in Forests within the Credit River Watershed (1.67 MB)
- Factsheet - Analysis of Present and Future Carbon Storage in the Forests of the Credit River Watershed (1.67 MB)
- The Impact of Climate Change on Ontario’s Forests (1.20 MB)
- The Known and Potential Effects of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Ontario’s Terrestrial Ecosystems: Case Studies and Recommendations for Adaptation (1.63 MB)
