Southern Foresters' Perceptions of Climate Change: Implications for Educational Program Development

Authors

Leslie Boby, Southern Region Extension ForestryFollow
William Hubbard, Southern Region Extension ForestryFollow
Mark Megalos, North Carolina State UniversityFollow
Hilary L.C. Morris, North Carolina State UniversityFollow
Barbara Brody, Oregon State UniversityFollow
Maureen Hosty, Oregon State UniversityFollow
Shanna Northway, Oregon State UniversityFollow

Volume

54

Issue

6

DOI

10.34068/joe.54.06.10

Abstract

An understanding of foresters' perceptions of climate change is important for developing effective educational programs on adaptive forest management. We surveyed 1,398 foresters in the southern United States regarding their perceptions of climate change, observations and concerns about climatic and forest conditions, and knowledge of and interest in resilient forest management techniques and climate science. A majority (61%) agreed that climate change is occurring, and 14% agreed that it is caused by humans. Most respondents were interested in learning more about forest resilience and related concepts. Development of programming focused on managing for forest resilience in a changing climate is a prudent educational approach that builds on familiar risk-management strategies.

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Recommended Citation

Boby, L., Hubbard, W., Megalos, M., Morris, H. L., Brody, B., Hosty, M., & Northway, S. (2016). Southern Foresters' Perceptions of Climate Change: Implications for Educational Program Development. The Journal of Extension, 54(6), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.54.06.10