by Matt Hutchins, Wild South Intern

"I believe history will judge the leaders of our age by how well we respond to climate change."
- Abigail R. Kimbell, Chief U.S. Forest Service

The science of climate change is increasingly clear and invokes a sense of urgency. But often scientists fall short in communicating what to expect at regional scales or what specific localities in the Southeast can do in terms of mitigation and adaptation.

With headquarters in Asheville, NC, Wild South's Climate Change Analysis team is in the ideal location. Asheville is home to the best equipped regional and national groups for dealing with climate change. This summer, the climate change project has taken advantage of Asheville's various groups by collaborating with scientists and researchers from UNC Asheville's National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC), NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), and the U.S. Forest Service to generate climate change assessments for the Southeast.

While climate change is often stressed as a long-term issue, the facts show it is already impacting the world through increased forest fires, glacial and permafrost melting, and severe weather events such as floods and hurricanes. On a broad scale, climate change is affecting the planet and society as a whole. However, the changes experienced by localities are extremely variable, so our response to climate change must also be locally-oriented. Adaptation strategies will determine the extent of climate change while mitigation strategies will help us cope with change.

Southeastern public lands and forests are extremely important because of the ecological services they provide and will play a crucial role in dealing with climate change. Not only do we utilize our forests for recreation and retreat, but we also rely on them to provide clean water and a source of wood products. Additionally, the Southern Appalachians host the greatest amount of biodiversity and some of the rarest natural communities in North America. Yet, the benefits we derive from our public lands could be fundamentally altered by climate change. In a survey conducted by Wild South, 78% of respondents thought planning for climate change when managing public lands is very important and 58% thought lawmakers are not addressing climate change at all. This brings us to the question: How do we manage for climate change?

With help from other groups, Wild South's climate change analysis team is working to incorporate the most accurate climate change scenarios to give a qualitative assessment of the effects on forest communities in the Southeast. This assessment can inform us about (1) what affect climate change will have on the stability of ecosystems, and (2) how climate change will impact our natural resources.

While it is difficult to predict the future, we can assess how changing factors such as temperature, precipitation and wildfire will positively or negatively impact the region according to a range of possibilities. This approach tells the story of what to anticipate. After incorporating other elements such as land use and population growth, we can gain an understanding of how people will need to adapt to changing resources and what specific natural areas are most vulnerable. Ultimately, this analysis will offer a progressive outlook by identifying how climate change is relevant to us in the Southeast and where we need to focus our crucial land management resources.

Learn More

Wild South would like their climate change project to be open and available to the public. You are invited to participate in our climate change survey mentioned above by clicking here or to learn more about Wild South's work to address issues facing Southeastern public lands. Questions and input are also welcome at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

To learn more about Wild South's Climate Change Analysis and research from other groups, join us for the Chocolate Friday Presentations on Friday Sept. 5 and Friday Oct. 24. Themes for these events are "Climate Change" Sept. 5 and "Forest Threats" Oct. 24. Chocolate Fridays are hosted by UNC Asheville's NEMAC and are held at the Chestnut Ridge Room located in the Reuter Center on the UNC Asheville campus from 3:00-5:00 pm. For more information call Susan at 828-250-3890.

Climate Change Analysis Highlights

• Public lands are vital for mitigation and adaptation.
• Effects of climate change will vary by region, therefore response and planning should also be regionally based.
• Asheville is emerging as a center of climate research.
• A qualitative climate change assessment begins the discussion of "what to expect" and will support future land management decisions.
• Communication between scientist and communities will lead to better planning for the future.