Exotic Tree Species as an Adaptation Option to Climate Change in ...

tree species. Exotics can be and are frequently planted on
freehold land. In general, stocking policies on Crown land in
these provinces precludes the introduction of exotic species,
although some test plantations of exotics are underway.
A Different Perspective: Exotic Species and
Adaptation to Climate Change
In many well-documented cases around the world, introduced
exotic plants have been identified as serious threats to
biodiversity and other values, usually because of invasive
behaviour leading to alteration of neighbouring ecosystems.
Recent developments in policy have focused on reducing
these threats in order to protect existing ecosystems. In
addition, conservation strategies throughout North America
have focused on protecting representative areas from human
impact without incorporating the impacts of climate change.
The increasing evidence for global climate change suggests
that a different perspective may be needed on the issue of
exotic species and conservation management.
Under conditions of climate change, if we wish to maintain
species and ecosystem diversity, we may have to abandon
a laissez-faire wilderness preservation model and adopt
increasingly intensive management policies. These could
include deliberately assisting the movement of species to
newly suitable habitats. This issue is particularly acute for
forest systems, where natural migration (for example, of
new tree species or of climatically more suitable genetic
varieties of locally extant tree species) may not be possible
without human intervention.
With the correct policies in place, exotic tree species could
play a significant role in adaptation. As the range and density
of existing species changes with climate, new species could
be sought to replicate as closely as possible the ecological
function of native species. Management of the area should
focus not only on the potential invasiveness of the exotic
species, but on whether the species contributes to largescale
biodiversity preservation within the ecosystem. The
introduction of new species might contribute to the resilience
of the western boreal in the face of oncoming changes.
Figure 11: Exotic tree plantation in southern Alberta
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