Climate change attitudes of southern forestry professionals: Outreach implications

Abstract

Greater climate variability may profoundly impact southern forests, requiring climate-resilient management strategies to sustain them into the future. Foresters design and implement these strategies, and their perspectives on climate change may influence their receptivity to outreach on climate science and adaptation. To effectively engage this audience, communicators such as Extension agents must understand their views. We surveyed southern forestry professionals to address that need, identifying opportunities and obstacles for education about climate-resilient forestry. Demographic characteristics, particularly political ideology, correlated highly with acceptance of climate change. We also found significant relationships between climate change attitudes, experiences, perceptions, and management responses. Foresters who accept climate change are more likely to observe it in the environment, feel concerned about its impacts on forestry, and agree that it will require different management strategies. We explored multiple outreach options and ultimately recommend connecting climate change to forestry by emphasizing forest health and productivity concerns.