With the increasing certainty found in recent climate change reports (IPCC, 2007; Cayan et al., 2006) it appears that even with reductions in greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions some level of climate change is likely and that adaptation strategies will be needed to maintain productive forest and rangelands. While climate model results differ, there are likely to be significant changes in the composition of forests throughout the state under all scenarios and models. In some cases, environmental effects from climate change have already been observed in California forest and rangelands. This includes shifts in species ranges, changes in the frequency of disturbance from wildfires and pests, and effects on forest productivity.

While mitigation measures for the forest sector have been proposed to reduce and offset GHG emissions, adaptation strategies will be needed to cope with impacts that are unavoidable. This report reviews many of the observed and forecasted impacts to California forests and rangelands as a result of climate change, proposes a framework for developing adaptation strategies and incorporating them into decision-making, and identifies an initial set of strategies for coping with climate change.