Approach
The ecosystem services provided by both forests and landscape trees are many, including water provision, purification, and regulation, air quality improvement, habitat, socio-cultural services such as shade, food, and aesthetics, and climate regulation, including the moderation of climate extremes. These ecosystem services can be harnessed in developed recreation settings in order to offset projected climate-exacerbated stressors, such as decreased water availability, extreme heat or wind events, the urban heat island effect, and tree mortality. Within cultural landscapes, it is also significant to consider how new plantings could affect the visual characteristics of the site. Examples under this approach include using vegetation to provide windbreaks or shade and selecting future-adapted vegetation to replace vegetation when lost.
Tactics
- Plant trees in strategic locations to serve as windbreaks. In the vicinity of facilities, this can also reduce demand for interior heating.
- In drought-prone areas, use landscape plantings that are drought-tolerant and do not require excessive watering, i.e. xeriscaping.
- Plant trees to provide shade in open parklands or along heavily utilized walkways.
- In areas not prone to wildland fire, plant trees to shade facilities, thereby increasing energy-efficiency of buildings.
- Where trees are at imminent risk of infestation or disease, e.g. ash trees, plant understory species that are expected to be better adapted to future conditions.
- Within cultural landscapes, replace at-risk vegetation, especially tree species, with better adapted species that provide similar visual characteristics.
- Ensure the presence of successional trees for streambank stabilization in riparian areas at risk of flood events.
Strategy
Strategy Text
Climate change will impact recreational opportunities and infrastructure such that it may become untenable to retain those opportunities and infrastructure without modification. Many of these opportunities and infrastructure are highly dependent on their setting within a natural area or within a specific context. Ski areas in particular represent an investment in infrastructure that is long-term, place-based, and highly compromised by the effects of a changing climate. This strategy seeks to provide options for re-evaluating past design concepts and for adapting existing opportunities and infrastructure in a way that allows for modification but retains the character of the current recreational experience.
O’Toole, D.; Brandt, L.A.; Janowiak, M.K.; Schmitt, K.M.; Shannon, P.D.; Leopold, P.R.; Handler, S.D.; Ontl, T.A.; Swanston, C.W. Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Outdoor Recreation. Sustainability 2019, 11, 7030.