| definition |
- The Forest Service goal for global change research is to establish a sound
scientific basis for making regional, national, and international resource
management and policy decisions in the context of global change issues. The
objectives of the Northern Global Change Program (NGCRP) are to understand: (1)
what processes in forest ecosystems are sensitive to physical and chemical
changes in the atmosphere, (2) how future physical and chemical climate changes
will influence the structure, function, and productivity of forest and related
ecosystems, and to what extent forest ecosystems will change in response to
atmospheric changes, and (3) what are the implications for forest management
and how must forest management activities be altered to sustain forest
productivity, health, and diversity. The NGCRP currently emphasizes scientific
inquiry into the effects of multiple air pollutants and climate changes on
forest ecosystems. As the program matures, the impacts of prospective changes
on interactions between forest ecosystems and social and economic processes
will be evaluated, as will policy options for mitigating or adapting to
predicted changes.
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