Climate Change Impacts

Key projected climate impacts were considered at the Jones Center.
Key projected climate change impacts were considered for The Jones Center at Ichauway adaptation project.

Photo Credit: Seth Bigelow, The Jones Center at Ichauway

Key projected climate change impacts that the project team considered for The Jones Center at Ichauway include: 

  • Increased temperatures and drought severity 
  • Changing precipitation amounts and extreme weather events 
  • Increased insects, pathogens, and invasive species 
  • Reduced ability to use prescribed fire as a management tool and potentially more wildfires 

Climate change will present challenges and opportunities for accomplishing the management objectives of The Jones Center at Ichauway, including: 

Challenges

  • Altered vulnerability to future climatic conditions in pine plantations and hardwood forests 
  • Increased mortality rates in pine species from drought 
  • Increased abundance of hardwood stems of all size classes 

Opportunities

  • Longleaf pine is highly resilient to drought and insect-induced mortality and may be suitable on a wider range of sites under projected climate change