Adaptation to Climate Change in Forest Management: What Role Does National Context and Forest Management Tradition Play?

This chapter discusses the concept of adaptation toclimate change as it relates to traditions in forest management and utilises the case of forest management in Italy to illustrate the variety of aims that can be seen as relevant to adaptation. While Italy does not yet have an official adaptation strategy in general, or for the forestry sector, the general aims of forest management in the country can to some extent be seen as relevant to adaptation as these call for more fire-resilient forests, more "self-sustaining and adaptable" forests, and like improvements. The study discusses the possibilities of adaptation in the absence of a formal framework provided by an adaptation policy and reflects on the role that concepts such as naturalness may play in determining the directions of adaptation and forest management.