Future Forest Ecosystems Scientific Council of British Columbia

About the FFESC
Completed Projects
Projects Underway
For More Information

About the FFESC

In March 2008, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations established the Future Forest Ecosystems Scientific Council (FFESC) to guide the allocation of a $5.5 million grant-in-aid to research that supports the objectives of the Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative (FFEI) – namely, adaptation of the forest and range management framework to climate change.

The FFESC is a cooperative council comprising representatives of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).

2011 FFESC poster for Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute conference
Summary of FFESC Climate Change Adaptation Research Projects (Jan. 2011)
FFESC 2009-10 Year End Report (Jan. 2011)
FFESC Research Needs Analysis (Oct. 2010)
FFESC 2008-09 Year End Report (Oct. 2009)
2009 Program Overview: Interdisciplinary Climate Change Adaptation Research (Apr. 2009)
FFESC Terms of Reference (Aug. 2008)
FFESC Signed Charter (Aug. 2008)

Completed Projects

#	Project Leader	Project Title
1	Sally Aitken & Tongli Wang, UBC	Biogeoclimatic Zone Shifts Under Climate Change and Implications Of Forecast Uncertainty for Forest Management (coming soon – publication anticipated in early 2011)
2	Craig Nitschke, Bulkley Valley Research Centre	Regeneration Vulnerability Assessment for Dominant Tree Species Throughout the Central Interior of British Columbia
3	Lyle Gawalko, FLNRO	Climate change and fire management research forum http://bcwildfire.ca/Weather/Climate/index.htm
4	Mark Johnston, Saskatchewan Research Council	Vulnerability of Canada's Tree Species to Climate Change and Management Options for Adaptation: An Overview for Policy Makers and Practitioners http://www.ccfm.org/
5	Todd Redding, FORREX	A Compendium of Forest Hydrology and Geomorphology in British Columbia
6	Peter Duinker, Dalhousie University	Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management in a Changing Climate Indicator Evaluations
7	Chuck Bulmer, MFLNRO	Soil and ecological baseline data: Improvement and delivery (Contact Chuck Bulmer to view Appendices 2-5)

Projects Underway

#	Project Leader	Project Title
1	Alan Wiensczyk, FORREX	Reducing vulnerabilities and promoting resilience of BC's natural and human systems through adaptation of post-disturbance land management options Project website: http://www.forrex.org/ffesc Project update, Summer 2010
2	Dirk Brinkman, Coast Tsimshian Resources	Climate change adaptation plan for Northwest Skeena communities Project web site: http://brinkmanforest.com/ffesc
3	Ann Chan-McLeod, UBC	Integrating climate change adaptation strategies with sustainability and socioeconomic objectives for the Quesnel timber supply area May 2011 project presentation
4	Darwyn Coxson, UNBC	Climate change vulnerability of old-growth forests in BC's inland temperate rainforest Project website: http://wetbelt.unbc.ca/featured-11.htm New book on Inland Temperate Rainforest
5	Craig Delong, FLNRO	Risk analysis and decision support tool
6	Louise deMontigny, FLNRO	Using red alder as an adaptation strategy to reduce environmental, social and economic risks of climate change in coastal BC Aldern Newsletter September 2010 March 2010
7	Lauchlan Fraser, TRU	Managing for the ecological and socioeconomic effects of climate change on BC rangelands Year one progress report (Nov 2010)
8	Rachel Holt, Veridian Consulting	Resilience and climate change: adaptation potential for management and ecological systems in the West Kootenays Project web site: www.kootenayresilience.org
9	John Innes, UBC	Climate change adaptation research for forest and rangeland ecosystems: resiliency implications at the landscape level South Selkirks Newsletter Issue #1 – Spring 2010 Issue #2 – Summer 2010 Issue #3 – Fall 2010 Issue #4 – Winter 2010 Issue #5 – Spring 2011 Issue #6 – Fall 2011 Issue #7 – Winter 2011
10	Emina Krcmar, UBC	Uncertainty in adaptation to climate change in forest management: selected case studies in British Columbia
11	Don Morgan, Bulkley Valley Research Centre	A multi-scale transdisciplinary vulnerability assessment Project Website
12	Harry Nelson, UBC	Validating impacts, exploring vulnerabilities, and developing robust adaptive strategies under the Kamloops Future Forest Strategy 2009-10 Year End Progress Report Project website: http://k2kamloopstsa.com/
13	Dave Spittlehouse, FLNRO	High resolution spatial climate data for climate change research in BC. See below For More Information on available climate tools
14	Tracy Summerville, UNBC	Integrating FFEI scientific predictions into community planning and governance
15	Rita Winkler, FLNRO	The effects of climate and forest cover change on snowmelt-dominated water supplies in the Okanagan Project Website: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/research/penticton/index.htm
16	Allan Carroll, UBC	Predicting forest insect disturbance under climate change Research Website

Please refer to Summary of FFESC climate change adaptation research projects (Jan 2011) for a summary of these and other research projects funded by the FFESC.

For FFESC research teams, an FFESC sharepoint site has been established to enable researchers to post documents, share information, and communicate with each other. Access to the sharepoint site will be limited to registered FFESC researchers only. For more information on the sharepoint site, please contact Sybille Haeussler (see Contacts).

For More Information

ClimateWNA, a program to generate downscaled historical and future climate data for western North America, is now available and can be downloaded free of charge from:
http://www.genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/ClimateWNA/ClimateWNA.html

For more details, please see the readme

Topic	Contact
General questions about the FFESC and the Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative	Kristine Weese, FFESC Secretariat, kristine.weese@gov.bc.ca