The North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership (NCAP) is a Forest Service – National Park Service collaboration on climate change adaptation. NCAP addresses adaptation at a large scale – the region that includes Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, North Cascades National Park Complex, and Mount Rainier National Park – a land area of 6 million acres. NCAP is the third Forest Service – National Park Service partnership on climate change adaptation in the country. Two previous case studies – Olympic NF/Olympic NP (Washington) and Inyo NF/Devils Postpile NM (California) – serve as successful examples of the benefits of this type of cross-boundary partnership. NCAP takes on the challenge of applying this approach to a larger landscape that is more geographically, ecologically, and institutionally complex than its predecessors. NCAP is also a science-management partnership. The USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station is leading the effort and the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington serves as the primary climate science provider for the project.
NCAP has four primary objectives:
- Synthesize published information and data on climate change science to develop an educational program for resource managers and stakeholders.
- Assess the vulnerability of natural and cultural resources (e.g. water, vegetation, wildlife, fisheries, recreation, roads, high-elevation ecosystems) to a warmer climate.
- Develop science-based adaptation strategies and tactics that will increase ecosystem resilience to climate change while maintaining other management objectives.
- Ensure that science-based adaptation options are effectively incorporated into relevant planning documents.
