Are climate vulnerability assessments different from impact assessments?  If so, what’s the difference?  Fortunately, Linda Joyce and Maria Janowiak of the US Forest Service have figured this out for us. In their article “An Introduction to Climate Change Assessments” they identify three types: Impact Assessments, Vulnerability Assessments and Natural Resource Assessments.  Each type has a different purpose and focus. 

As the authors explain it, impact assessments are designed to combine the scientific results about to what is likely to happen due to climate change.  Vulnerability assessments talk about how scientists see the ability of a forest, or community, to respond and adapt to the changes. And natural resource assessments are just that – an evaluation of the current condition of a resource and the significant factors affecting that resource from climate change. 

All types of assessments provide valuable information for policy makers, but can also give forest landowners an idea of what they might expect – more rain, less rain, greater temperatures, etc. – and how it will affect their forests.  The regional (and state, where available) climate assessment reports and summaries are all available on the Climate, Forests and Woodlands Community of Practice site.