Ground-truthing the Drought Code
Ground-truthing the Drought Code

Author: Bruce D. Lawson

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13:

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Users of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System are required to precede computation of the drought code component each spring by first calculating a mathematical model of overwinter recharge of moisture in the forest floor. Limitations of the model, required for operational simplicity, have led to requests for a field sampling procedure that can be used to verify the model when and where desired. This report describes a standard procedure for destructively sampling the forest floor by depth class, oven-drying the material, and comparing the actual moisture contents against empirically derived regression equations of forest floor moisture versus drought code for representative mature coastal and interior British Columbia forests, and for white spruce forests in southern Yukon. The field verification procedures and calibration equations presented will be applicable to drought code start-up at any time during the fire season.

Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States
Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States

Author: James M. Vose

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13:

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This assessment provides input to the reauthorized National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the National Climate Assessment (NCA), and it establishes the scientific foundation needed to manage for drought resilience and adaptation. Focal areas include drought characterization; drought impacts on forest processes and disturbances such as insect outbreaks and wildfire; and consequences for forest and rangeland values. Drought can be a severe natural disaster with substantial social and economic consequences. Drought becomes most obvious when large-scale changes are observed; however, even moderate drought can have long-lasting impacts on the structure and function of forests and rangelands without these obvious large-scale changes. Large, stand-level impacts of drought are already underway in the West, but all U.S. forests are vulnerable to drought. Drought-associated forest disturbances are expected to increase with climatic change. Management actions can either mitigate or exacerbate the effects of drought. A first principal for increasing resilience and adaptation is to avoid management actions that exacerbate the effects of current or future drought. Options to mitigate drought include altering structural or functional components of vegetation, minimizing drought-mediated disturbance such as wildfire or insect outbreaks, and managing for reliable flow of water.

Landscape-level Ecological Tree Species Benchmarks Pilot Project
Landscape-level Ecological Tree Species Benchmarks Pilot Project

Author: Shirley Mah

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13:

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The landscape-level ecological tree species benchmarks pilot project was initiated in 2012 as the next phase of the landscape-level species strategy project (Mah et al. 2012) in support of the Chief Foresters Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative. This pilot project is an exploration in producing landscape-level ecological tree species benchmarks to aid the development of specific landscape- level tree species targets in five Timber Supply Areas (TSAs) in the Central Interior of British Columbia. A co-operative inquiry approach was used in three sessionsWilliams Lake, Prince George, and Smithersthat engaged individuals from multiple disciplines to produce first approximation landscape-level ecological tree species benchmarks for 35 Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) subzones/variants. This process was undertaken with limited data sources and within the context of a changing climate.

Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resources Planning and Project Design
Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resources Planning and Project Design

Author: Patrick A. Ray

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2015-08-20

Total Pages: 149

ISBN-13: 1464804788

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Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resources Planning and Project Design describes an approach to facing two fundamental and unavoidable issues brought about by climate change uncertainty in water resources planning and project design. The first is a risk assessment problem. The second relates to risk management. This book provides background on the risks relevant in water systems planning, the different approaches to scenario definition in water system planning, and an introduction to the decision-scaling methodology upon which the decision tree is based. The decision tree is described as a scientifically defensible, repeatable, direct and clear method for demonstrating the robustness of a project to climate change. While applicable to all water resources projects, it allocates effort to projects in a way that is consistent with their potential sensitivity to climate risk. The process was designed to be hierarchical, with different stages or phases of analysis triggered based on the findings of the previous phase. An application example is provided followed by a descriptions of some of the tools available for decision making under uncertainty and methods available for climate risk management. The tool was designed for the World Bank but can be applicable in other scenarios where similar challenges arise.

Drought and Water Crises
Drought and Water Crises

Author: Donald Wilhite

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2017-09-25

Total Pages: 623

ISBN-13: 1351967517

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Over the past decade there have been extraordinary advances towards drought risk reduction with the development of new water-conserving technologies, and new tools for planning, vulnerability and impact assessment, mitigation, and policy. Drought and Water Crises: Integrating Science, Management, and Policy, Second Edition comprehensively captures this evolving progress as it discusses drought management in the light of present risks, global climate change and public policy actions. This new edition emphasizes the paradigm shift from managing disasters to managing risk, reflecting the global emphasis that has evolved in recent years, a new focus that shines light on preparedness strategies and the tools and methods that are essential in drought risk reduction. The book provides additional relevant case studies that integrate this new approach and discusses examples applied in both developed and developing countries.