This book is the first product of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests' Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative. GFEP is a new mechanism for providing objective and independent scientifc assessments of key forest-related issues to support international processes and decision-making at the global level. It is led and coordinated by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).
Policy makers recommended making adaptation of forests to climate change the subject of the first scientific assessment. Accordingly, an Expert Panel on Adaptation of Forests to Climate Change was formed by the GFEP Steering Committee in late 2007 to carry out this assessment. This Expert Panel consists of 35 scientists and experts from different forest-related disciplines and different parts of the world. About the same number of scientists contributed to the assessment as reviewers. The results of their voluntary collaboration between February 2008 and February 2009 are presented in the eight chapters of this book. The chapters have been prepared by Coordinating Lead Authors with teams of Lead Authors and Contributing Authors. They are based on a common conceptual framework and follow a logical sequence, though the chapters can be read independently from each other.
Based on the main findings of the assessment, a policy brief titled "Making forests ft for climate change - A global view of climate-change impacts on forests and people and options for adaptation" has been prepared especially for policy and decision makers.
Given the wide scope of the topic adaptation and the very limited time available for the assessment, this book cannot cover every issue related to the adaptation of forests and people to climate change. The assessment also reveals that there are still major gaps in knowledge about the impacts of climate change on forests and people and about how adaptation actions can best be tailored to local conditions. Nevertheless, it is hoped that this book will contribute to the discussion on and development of effective adaptation strategies while at the same time providing a robust basis for further research on the adaptation of forests and people to climate change.
