Forest management and climate change

This document was written to facilitate the preparation of the guidelines that FAO is preparing to assist forest managers to understand, assess and implement climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. The objective was to determine if and how forest management is changing or could change in order to respond effectively to climate change challenges and mitigation opportunities. It reviews the current understanding of climate change impacts on forests and forest management, assesses the challenges that these bring to forest managers at the forest management unit level and provides examples of how forest managers have responded to these challenges. The document also identifies what is needed to create an enabling policy, legal and institutional environment that would support forest managers’ efforts in mitigation and adaptation.