Envirothon 2025 Current Issue

CURRENT ISSUE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Explain the potential impacts of climate change on New York Forests, as well as social and economic impacts both locally and globally.

Differentiate types of climate models and the various components that enable models to project future conditions.

Explain how globalization has enabled the spread of invasive insect species and impacted New York’s forests.

Describe how the prevalence and spread of forest pests and diseases are expected to shift with climate change.                                                             

Describe a forest vulnerability assessment, including its purpose and steps.

Assess forest conditions and apply climate change adaptation strategies to support sustainable forest management.

Analyze the benefits and drawbacks of various climate change adaptation strategies for forests, including assisted species migration, selective breeding, and /or afforestation.

Define adaptive capacity in relation to vulnerable flora and fauna of forest communities.

Distinguish how various ecozones face differing levels of vulnerability and explain which ecological factors drive this vulnerability.

Describe how forest certification can be used as a global tool to manage forests sustainably.

Describe an ecozone or ecological land classification, and identify how different types are anticipated to shift based on climate change projections.

Identify ecosystem services provided by New York forest including environmental, economic, social, and cultural values.

Differentiate the types of wetlands found in the New York forests, explain their importance, and describe the anticipated effects from a changing climate on these ecosystems.

Identify New York forest-dependent species, and explain how climate change may threaten their populations.

Analyze the wildfire regime in New York forests and describe how it is changing in ​response to climatic shifts.

 

       We have attempted to find the most recent information from credible, university or governmental based institutions related to the listed learning objective but please note that the following resources are not all inclusive or exclusive and there are many other sources of information that you may wish to consult in your study of the Current Environmental Issue.

 

  Current Issue Resources: