Climate Change and Variability Impacts on Nurseries

Steve McNulty (USDA Southeast Regional Climate Hub)

Climate change impacts almost every aspect of the forest nursery industry. While the climate has always changed (and always will), the rate and variability of climate change have increased over the past 40 years. Increasing heat waves, flooding, drought and associated wildfire risk and insect species outbreaks, changing growing seasons, and shifting species ranges are all considerations when selecting nursery stock. These same factors can impact seedling survival and planting dates. This talk will identify some of the significant challenges to forestry nursery industry and tools that are being developed to address these challenges in response to climate change-related pressures.