Climate Change Challenges in Forestry & Agriculture

Climate Change and its Impact on Agriculture and Forestry in the U.S.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is actively addressing the challenges posed by climate change in agriculture and forestry. These sectors are not only affected by climate change, but they also have the potential to contribute to adaptation and mitigation efforts. It is crucial to understand the implications of climate change in these sectors to develop effective strategies and ensure the security of our food and shelter resources.

Key Greenhouse Gases and Climate Records

Human activities have led to an increase in key greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxides, carbon dioxide, and methane, in the atmosphere. This increase has resulted from industrial, agricultural, and deforestation practices. The abundance of these gases is causing more frequent severe weather events and natural disasters, including heat waves, droughts, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall. In 2023, global climate records were broken, with temperatures reaching the highest levels in the last 174 years. Ocean temperatures are also rising, leading to major ice sheet melts. These changes will have profound effects on agriculture and forestry, including crop damage, increased insect and disease pressures, and other stresses.

Adaptation Approaches in Agriculture and Forestry

Global efforts are underway to adapt to climate change in various sectors and regions. While reforestation and reducing deforestation have received significant attention, there are still gaps that need to be addressed. Agriculture and forestry offer potential solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation that can have positive cascading effects across regions.

Challenges in the Agriculture and Forestry Sector

Agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions through various activities, including burning crop residues, soil management and fertilization, animal manure management, and rice cultivation. It also requires significant amounts of energy for vehicles, tractors, harvest, and irrigation equipment. The complex nature of agriculture systems, which involve inputs of fertilizers and chemicals, management decisions, and interactions between climate and soil, further complicates the challenges. Agriculture accounts for 9.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to climate change due to its exposure to climatic changes in the natural landscape. Flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, droughts, and excessive rains have caused widespread economic damage in the agriculture sector. These impacts have led to property and income loss, threats to human health and food security, and adverse effects on crop production, water availability, animal health, and pests and diseases.

Forestry plays a crucial role in regulating the climate by transferring carbon within ecosystems and the atmosphere. However, it has seen a decline in recent decades due to development and cropland expansion. This decline affects essential services provided by forests, such as air purification, water regulation, wood products, outdoor recreation, medicines, and wildlife habitat. Many Indigenous people and Tribal Nations depend on forest ecosystems for their livelihoods and cultural practices. Effective forest management is essential for human well-being and is influenced by social and economic factors.

Current Adaptation Approaches in Agriculture and Forestry

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture soil management, farmers are adopting practices such as tilling less and using cover crops to keep the ground covered. These practices help with carbon storage, lower soil temperatures, and conserve moisture. Efforts are also underway to develop crops that can withstand higher temperatures and water stress. Ecosystem-based solutions, such as wetland restoration, are being implemented to reduce flooding. Agroforestry, which involves planting trees and growing agricultural products or grazing livestock within a forestry system, is another potential solution that provides shade, enhances biodiversity, and protects water bodies.

In the forestry sector, land managers and owners are developing plans to adapt to climate challenges. These plans focus on building relationships, conducting research, and incorporating climate considerations into education curriculum. Guides, assessments, and frameworks have been designed to assist private forest owners, Tribal lands, and federally managed forests. Coastal areas are planning for more frequent flooding and considering the relocation of vulnerable recreation areas. Forestry agencies in the West are implementing prescribed burning, thinning forests, and removing fuel to reduce wildfire risk and promote fire-adapted ecosystems.

Current Policy

The USDA has created the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan in response to Executive Order 14008, which requires all federal agencies to develop climate adaptation plans. The plan focuses on key threats to agriculture and forestry and includes outreach and education, investments in soil and forest health, access to climate data, and support for climate-smart practices and technologies.

Various USDA agencies have developed actions to address the impacts of climate change in different mission areas. These actions provide information and assistance to farmers, ranchers, forest owners, rural communities, and trade partners. The USDA has also invested in partnerships for climate-smart commodities, which involve projects aimed at developing markets, monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, and providing technical and financial assistance to producers.

The USDA Forest Service has developed its own Climate Adaptation Plan, which integrates climate adaptation into its mission and operations. The Forest Service collaborates with other organizations to develop tools and data for decision-making and planning. The Sustainability and Climate website provides information on adaptation, vulnerability assessments, carbon, and other aspects of land management.

Conclusion

Adapting to climate change in the agriculture and forestry sectors requires sustained efforts from both the government and individuals. Supporting sustainable and climate-smart practices through purchasing decisions can help protect natural resources and support affected communities. Collaboration and creative problem-solving are essential to address greenhouse gas contributions and ensure resilience against climate changes. The choices made now will have a significant impact on the future.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger

   • Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
   • Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture.
   • Indicator 2.4.2: Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status.

2. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
   • Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

3. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.
   • Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards sustainable forest management.
   • Indicator 15.2.2: Number of countries that have halted deforestation, restored degraded forests, and increased afforestation and reforestation.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: fas.org

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