“Adaptation planting,” or planting trees that can withstand global change, is a relatively new practice for foresters in the Northeast, where forests typically regenerate naturally. Still, these plantings can be used for many purposes, including species restoration, promoting resilience through diversification, or implementing assisted migrations to help forests adapt to warming and other environmental changes. To explore this emerging practice in the region, Northeast CASC-supported university researchers surveyed 33 natural resource managers who were early adopters of the adaptation planting to learn from their experiences.  

In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, the researchers yielded valuable insights into the motivations, challenges, and perspectives of these early adaptation planting practitioners. They found that motivations for adaptation plantings varied, though most managers were aiming to enhance the adaptability and resilience to future conditions when planting trees. Overall, researchers identified a growing interest in adaptation planting practices, particularly with assisted migration. Respondents reported that this trend was likely attributable to growing awareness and acceptance of the practice. Despite the increased enthusiasm, challenges to adaptation plantings and assisted migration remain. For instance, respondents cited managing competition from other vegetation, limitations in seedling availability in nurseries, and funding challenges.  

Insights from early adopters may inform other natural resource managers options for implementing adaptation planting and assisted migration strategies for managing forests in their own climate change adaptation plans. 

This work was supported by the Northeast CASC project “Effects of Climate, Disturbance, and Management on the Growth and Dynamics of Temperate and Sub-Boreal Forest Ecosystems within the Lake States and New England.”