New Report Released on Agriculture, Forestry, and Climate Change Adaptation

Last year was the warmest year on record for the lower 48 states and ranked second in history for extreme weather events such as droughts, wildfires, storms, and hurricanes. In the coming decades, with continuing climate change, agricultural and forestry producers are likely to face even more of this type of extreme weather. A new report from the 25x’25 Alliance suggests some important ways that policies and producers will need to adapt.

Many farmers, foresters, and ranchers throughout the United States are adjusting their operations to reduce the risks associated with increasingly variable and unpredictable weather. In addition, producers are facing unprecedented economic, social, and environmental pressures which require that they balance multiple outcomes. These challenges include feeding, clothing, housing, and fueling a rapidly growing world, making decisions in volatile local and global markets, and managing to continually renew and protect soil, water, and air resources. But farmers, foresters, and ranchers are not solely at the mercy of these trends. Rather, there are many options available to mitigate risks while strengthening production, cutting input costs, and improving the quality of the land — even in the context of weather-related disasters like those experienced in 2011 and 2012.

A recent report produced by the 25x’25 Alliance’s Adaptation Work Group, entitled " Agriculture and Forestry in a Changing Climate: Adaptation Recommendations, " offers various pathways in the areas of research, production systems, risk management, decision tools, and outreach for building a more resilient agriculture and forestry system. The recommendations of the Adaptation Work Group, which is a collaboration of leaders from the agriculture, forestry, business, academic, conservation, and government sectors, were shaped by the four overlapping goals of profitability, productivity, stewardship, and self-determination. The report, however, is not intended to serve as a definitive set of adaptation recommendations. Instead, it is offered as the beginning of a national dialogue on the steps needed to prepare agriculture and forestry for the road ahead.

This report follows the recent release of a number of reports on related topics, including:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, "2012 Was Warmest and Second Most Extreme Year on Record for the Contiguous U.S," National Data Summary, December 2012.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, " Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation ," February 2013.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, "Effects of Climate Variability and Change on Forest Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Science synthesis for the U.S. Forestry Sector," February 2013.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, " USDA Climate Change Adaptation Plan " , June 2012.