A fuel break project with partnership in part from Chugachmuit in Alaska. PHOTO CREDIT: TIM VREDENBURG
including natural resource management investments.
and effectiveness of this new funding may still be limited by policy and program level issues such as those being pointed out in multiple task chapters in this report. The rate of climate change and the range of observed impacts on forests and tribes have increased since IFMAT I (Jantarasami et al. 2018) and (Vose et al. 2019). Resources that depend on forests – water supplies, wood products, wildlife, energy, and recreation, as well as human health and cultural and spiritual values, are being affected in extreme ways that vary widely across the country. For many tribes, forests are key assets for assuring adaptation in social, economic, and cultural
dimensions. Multiple examples have emerged of how climate change exacts disproportionate social, economic, and cultural impacts on tribes, in part because they are often limited by scarce resources, mobility, and access to information. To echo IFMAT III findings, “Forestry programs that are underfunded, understaffed, or poorly connected to expanding sources of information and assistance will not be able to adapt well.” The IFMAT IV team did not explore the range of impacts and implications of the changing climate across the country or the complex interactions among biological, physical, and social dimensions. Climate change
Summaries of the programs of interest to tribes are available in resource guides from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs for the (US Senate 2021) and the IRA (US Senate 2022). Additional information is available from the White House (2021 and 2022) and from departments in charge of programs listed in the guides. Tribes that can clearly articulate and justify their overall investments and work with multiple federal agencies each with specific funding and specifications, will be more successful in the various programs supported by these two new laws. However, the efficiency
162 Assessment of Indian Forests and Forest Management in the United States
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