Natural resources planning activities are constantly changing to accommodate new challenges, and it is becoming increasingly important that conservation and land management activities intentionally consider a changing and uncertain climate.

Created by the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science in collaboration with the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub, the Quick Guide to Adaptation Planning for Natural Resources Professionals was developed as an entry point to adaptation planning for natural resource professionals. This Quick Guide gives you a starting point to help you design and implement adaptation actions in your work, with a focus on the project level. It draws on a five-step process to help you consider how climate change will affect your lands and your associated goals for natural resources management.

By intentionally considering the potential impacts, challenges, and opportunities from climate change, you can then use this lens to identify actions that enable ecosystems to cope with stressors and adapt to changing conditions, while also addressing your conservation priorities.