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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #318894
Title: Northeast regional climate hub assessment of climate change vulnerability and adaptation and mitigation strategies

Author
item TOBIN, DANIEL - Pennsylvania State University
item JANOWIAK, MARIA - Us Forest Service (FS)
item HOLLINGER, DAVID - Us Forest Service (FS)
item Skinner, Robert
item SWANSTON, CHRISTOPHER - Us Forest Service (FS)
item STEELE, RACHEL - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item RADHAKRISHNA, RAMA - Pennsylvania State University
item CHATRCHYAN, ALLISON - Cornell University

Submitted to: Government Publication/Report
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/9/2015
Publication Date: 6/23/2015
Citation: Tobin, D., Janowiak, M., Hollinger, D., Skinner, R.H., Swanston, C., Steele, R., Radhakrishna, R., Chatrchyan, A. 2015. Northeast regional climate hub assessment of climate change vulnerability and adaptation and mitigation strategies. Government Publication/Report. 65 p.

Interpretive Summary: Farmers and foresters in the northeastern US are facing serious challenges from increasing weather variability including greater and more intense rainfall, warmer winters and untimely spring frosts, and greater summertime droughts despite the overall increase in annual rainfall. In order to cope with these challenges, producers need accurate and up-to-date information on the vulnerabilities they face and on adaptation practices that they can adopt to respond to those vulnerabilities. This vulnerability assessment compiles agricultural and forestry information from existing state assessments to present a regional overview of agricultural and forest susceptibility to climate variability in the Northeast. It also presents preliminary suggestions for adaptation and will serve as a guide to focus future adaptation work.

Technical Abstract: About 21 percent of land in the 12 Northeastern States is farmland (6 percent of national total), and 62 percent is classified as timberland (total land area covered by trees is somewhat larger). The northeastern United States is home to about 175,000 farms that collectively produce agricultural commodities worth more than $21 billion per year. The most important commodities in the Northeast are dairy production and poultry, and about half of the field crops (including pasture) grown in the Northeast are for animal feed. Horticulture is a relatively large portion of total plant production in the Northeast, as are perennial fruits such as apples, pears, blueberries, and cranberries. Farms in the Northeast are on average smaller than in many other parts of the country, and a greater percentage of these are operated by women than in the rest of the United States. Organic production is relatively greater than in most other regions. More intense and higher rainfall totals increase the burden that agriculture and forest producers face in being able to conduct timely operations. The Northeast Regional Climate Hub is working across a range of crops, forests, and livestock production systems to assemble the available information into tools and practices that can increase the resilience of these systems to climate change. Practices that improve soil health and protect soils from erosion are of particular importance because healthy soils are a key to productivity and resilience. This vulnerability assessment reviews present knowledge of agricultural and forest susceptibility to climate variability in the Northeast and will serve as a guide to focus future adaptation work. Future efforts of the Hub will continue to work with Land Grant University partners and others to identify and encourage practical and cost-effective methods for increasing farm and forest resilience to climate variability and change.