Factors Affecting Use of Climate Change Science and Decision Support Tools for Forest Management in Vermont

The US Forest Service has identified climate change as an important driver of landscape change, and a source of risk for forests and grasslands in the US. The Forest Health and Climate Research Group in the Rubenstein School at the University of Vermont is gathering data and developing models to assess the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystem health in the state of Vermont. In consultation with stakeholder groups, we are integrating these data into a spatially-structured decision support tool for forest management.

In this presentation, we ask: What are potential uses for climate change data and decision support tools in forest management decisions in Vermont? How do these vary by type of user? What factors may affect the use of climate change data and decision support tools? How do these vary by type of user?

To address these questions, we draw on information from transcripts of meetings with 18 individuals from 13 organizations (federal and state agencies, non-profit organizations, county foresters) in the state of Vermont, and selected organizational documents. We coded these materials for key themes related to potential uses of data and tools, and for factors affecting use of the tool. This presentation provides a comparative assessment among types of organizations related to these themes. It also considers how potential users of the data and tools can contribute to the development of tools. Finally, it reflects on the institutional context of the overall project and how it relates to the capacity to generate and provide data about climate change and related trends in forest health for use in forest management decisions.