Assessing and adapting to climate change in the Blue Mountains, Oregon (USA): Overview, biogeography, and climate

Abstract

The Blue Mountains Adaptation Partnership (BMAP) was established to increase climate change awareness, assess vulnerability to climate change, and develop science-based adaptation strategies for national forest lands in the Blue Mountains region of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington (USA). The BMAP process included (1) development of a science-management partnership, (2) a vulnerability assessment of the effects of climate change on natural resources and infrastructure, (3) development of adaptation options that will help reduce negative effects of climate change and assist the transition of biological systems and management to a changing climate, and (4) ongoing dialogue and activities related to climate change in the Blue Mountains region. This special issue of Climate Services describes social context and climate change vulnerability assessments for water use and infrastructure, vegetation, and riparian ecosystems of the Blue Mountains region, as well as adaptation options for natural resource management. This manuscript introduces the special issue, describing the management, biogeographic, and climatic context for the Blue Mountains region; the climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation process used in BMAP; and the potential applications of the information described in the special issue. Although the institutional focus of information in the special issue is U.S. Forest Service lands (Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests), the broader social context and adaptation options should be applicable to other lands throughout this region and the Pacific Northwest.