C4 : Crisis management

The forests of Haut-Languedoc are largely impacted by climate change, and episodes of crises (diebacks, health problems, storms) could multiply and intensify with its effects. At the level of the forest-wood sector, it is necessary to anticipate operational means to structure the actions to be taken in the event of a crisis, and also to improve vigilance before the crisis even happens.

Summary

• General objective
• Workstream
• Focus on the reporting procedure
• Contact

General objective: setting up an action plan to anticipate climate change crises

As part of the FORECCAsT project, we developped an action plan that is both preventive, predictive and responsive.

The goal of this action plan is twofold:

• to prepare a potential crisis management by gathering the partners, reflecting on the possible situations and proposing an organization plan ready to be mobilized in the event of an exceptional event;
• to provide the means to monitor crises in the field through increased vigilance: upstream to assess the scale of the problems (trigger), and continuously to improve the system and the understanding of the phenomena.

The results of this process were presented on March 27, 2018 at the "Climate Risks and Collective Crisis Management" symposium

They have been formalized in a guide entitled "Managing climate change related crises in the Haut-Languedoc forest", written by Raphaël Bec, the CRPF Occitania FORECCAsT task officer. This guide is available for free on request to the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park or the CRPF Occitania. It can also be downloaded by clicking on the link below.

Download the guide (in French)

Workstream

Develop and promote anticipation tools

• Estimate the risks for a forest stand
• Rely on the correspondents-observers network from the DSF
• Consider new methods of vigilance (reports, weather information)

Prepare crisis management

• Organize a suitable crisis unit
• Facilitate coordination, consultation and communication
• Anticipate the necessary means

Value feedback and experiences

• Summary of the phenomena recorded in recent years and their level of risk
• Recommendations for the main risks

Focus on the reporting procedure

During the summer of 2017 was set up a collaborative system to report drought indicators in forest stands: reddening trees, mortality, falling leaves, falling needles. We are still in a test phase for such a tool.

This type of reporting can be done occasionally, to transmit local data. It allows for the inventory and monitoring of field observations which, once analyzed, will help defining the level of vigilance. Therefore, each and very forester in the Haut-Languedoc Park territory can be involved in the definition of the level of vigilance.

Instructions to be involved in the reporting are available HERE. Feel free to test this procedure and to send us your feedback!

Reminder: If you have any doubt or problem regarding the health status of your forest stands, the Forest Health Department (DSF) correspondents-observers should be your privileged interlocutors.

Contact

To follow this action or for more information, you can contact Raphaël BEC - FORECCAsT task officer, CRPF Occitanie