action plans for the role of forests and forestry in in the wider range of climate concerns. IFMAT IV identified available federal and non-governmental guidance and technical assistance for developing these plans and actions and the linkages between forest planning and tribe-level planning. The team also curated examples of individual actions that might form a nucleus for standards for adaptation planning to address climate vulnerabilities for individual values or services provided by forests. The team separately reviewed forest carbon agreements and forest carbon plans (see section below). Assessing Adaptive Capacity Most tribes that have stated goals for dealing with climate change that characterize those goals as sets of actions to maintain resilience. Resilience is the ability of a social or ecological system to absorb change while retaining structures and ways of functioning, the capacity for self- reorganization, and the ability to adapt to stress (IPCC 2007). Resilience comes from proactively managing a range of important vulnerabilities by reducing exposure to stressors, reducing sensitivity of the resource or value, and/or increasing adaptive capacity. Adaptive capacity in this sense is the ability of the tribe or its forest resource or forestry program to withstand disturbance and retain, recover, or transform important functions. Climate adaptive capacity is shaped by many factors. From studies of adaptive capacity, the team identified several key factors:
A fire break for the Mescalero Apache Tribe in New Mexico. PHOTO CREDIT: GEORGE E. SMITH
■ Financial resources – nature and level of investments targeted to climate risks. ■ Institutional effectiveness and flexibility of intratribal social and political systems as well as the effectiveness of agency programs to implement federal trust responsibilities. ■ Policies through which the tribe operates (e.g., self- government and federally sponsored programs) and their compatibility with the scale and rapidity of impacts being
introduced by the changing climate. ■ Capacity of management and technical staff. ■ Nature and strength of relationships (intertribal, agency, landscape neighbors, information, and expertise to stay current and translate science findings. ■ Access to markets that will enable adaptation and carbon management actions. and service providers). ■ Access to technology,
164 Assessment of Indian Forests and Forest Management in the United States
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