Disfavor species that are distinctly maladapted

A species is considered maladapted when its environment changes at a rate beyond the species’ ability to adapt and accommodate those changes (Johnston 2009). Species at the southern or highest elevational extent of their geographic range are vulnerable to habitat loss with projected changes in climate (Iverson et al. 2008), making forest stands with a high proportion of live carbon stocks as maladapted species more vulnerable to carbon loss as environmental conditions change (Duveneck et al. 2014; Duveneck & Scheller 2015). Species declines may require rapid and aggressive management responses to maintain forest cover and carbon sequestration capacity. In ecosystems where the dominant species are likely to decline substantially, this may mean dramatically altering the species assemblage through active or passive means.

Climate change is projected to increase the potential for severe disturbance events that reduce forest ecosystems carbon stocks (Williams et al. 2016), while additionally affecting the growth and regeneration of extant species. Many forest management decisions aim to limit the negative impacts of disturbances while enhancing the growth of residual trees and the regeneration of desired species that represent the current and future capacity of the ecosystem to sequester carbon (McKinley et al. 2011). Often these management actions aim to enhance existing forest conditions, such as species composition and stand structural diversity that are key to the desired services provided by the forest. Slight adjustments in forest conditions can improve the retention of carbon within various forest carbon pools or enhance the rate of recovery following a disturbance event without dramatically altering the character of forest ecosystems.