Climate projections suggest that by the end of this century, forest practitioners should expect shifts in tree species abundance and distribution. As we have already seen, this transition could be marked by more frequent and extreme events such as heat domes, drought, extreme cold, and atmospheric rivers. These events create challenging conditions for regeneration, prompting forest professionals to reconsider whether past practices are appropriate. In this new era, practitioners are faced with the challenge of establishing today, trees that are well-adapted to future conditions.

As part of the BC Ministry of Forests Climate Adaptation program, a series of operational trials were established in the IDFdk3 and SBSmc2 to help understand the factors that drive regeneration success in a changing climate and how different silvicultural practices, including novel species and seedlot selection, might improve survival and early growth.

In this presentation, we explore the relationship between seedling survival and weather variables, species and seedlot selection, site conditions, fire, site preparation, and planting timing from five different projects. Those involved in reforestation operations, seed collection or managing seed orchards, researchers involved in climate adaptation work, and climatologists and others involved in developing tools like the Ministry of Forest’s Drought Tool or the Climate Change Informed Tree Species Suitability (CCISS) tool will find this information helpful.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this session, participants will:

1. Build knowledge on climate trends and weather events that may impact regenerationsuccess.
2. Gain a deeper understanding of the factors that drive successful regeneration.
3. Be able to indicate which species, seedlots, silviculture practices, and site types have potential in terms of mitigating climate change impacts in the SBSmc2 and IDFdk3.