Series: Climate Change Response Strategy and Cultural Landscapes

How do cultural landscape stewards understand the impacts of climate change on natural and cultural resources, slow its progression, and prepare for a changing future?

  • Article 1: Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes: Understand

    A tall tree with a broad canopy of orange foliage stands out in a meadow of tan grass

    Climate change response requires high-quality information and analysis, shared across disciplines and partners and involving multiple voices. The NPS compiles and documents information about the landscape and how it has changed over time. This contributes to an understanding of historical climate conditions, future projections, and potential effects on resources and operations. Read more

  • Article 2: Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes: Adapt

    A rustic camp in a wooded area with a wooden bridge, stone steps. Deciduous trees have fall foliage.

    Resources that are maintained in good condition are better positioned to adapt to a changing climate. Anticipating and adapting to the effects of climate change is a standard part of preservation planning and decision-making. Adaptation measures include compatible alterations, understanding natural systems, maintenance cycles, and recording resources that can't be preserved. Read more

  • Article 3: Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes: Mitigation

    A brick pool house and pergola in a formal garden, beside a pond, garden beds, and terracing

    The NPS responds to the impacts of a changing climate while also aiming to reduce the negative impact of landscape care. Landscape planners incorporate potential environmental impacts and their mitigation in preservation treatment recommendations, considering both routine maintenance and long-term management. Landscape can be more resilient by using environmentally responsible maintenance practices and building healthier, more self-supporting systems in historic landscapes. Read more

  • Article 4: Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes: Communication

    SCA intern uses an axe to shape the end of a log, held in place in a rustic sawhorse.

    Cultural landscapes help reveal how physical changes in the landscape connect to the stories of how people have interacted with their environment over time. Sharing information with staff, partners, and visitors demonstrates how climate change response is central to landscape preservation and maintenance. Read more

Tags: cultural landscape climate change