Landowners / Practitioners

Restoration is not only about bringing back what has been lost. It is also about getting ecosystems ready for the future. Forests today experience conditions that are changing faster than ever – think of climate change, new types of disturbances, invasive species, land-use pressure, and other human activities. In many cases, restoring a forest to exactly how it used to be is no longer possible, or even helpful—especially if those past conditions no longer meet society’s needs under today’s environmental realities. In these situations, restoration goals need to look ahead and take future conditions into account.

Forward-looking restoration accepts that ecosystems are always changing and adapting. Instead of trying to recreate a fixed past state, this approach focuses on building forests that are healthy, resilient, and able to provide important ecological and social benefits in the future. This means thinking in advance about changes such as warmer temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, more frequent fires or pest outbreaks, and new interactions between species. These expected changes should be considered from the beginning when setting restoration goals and methods.

In practice, this may mean choosing tree species or seed sources that can handle warmer or drier climates, creating more diverse forest structures that can better cope with disturbances, or improving connections between habitats so species can move and adapt as conditions change. Historical reference ecosystems are still important, but they are used alongside scientific projections, models, and local knowledge about future trends.

Adaptation is central to forward-looking restoration. Because the future is uncertain, restoration plans need to be flexible and able to change over time. This includes setting adjustable goals, carefully monitoring results, and being willing to change management actions when needed. Working together—bringing practitioners, scientists, and landowners into the process—is also essential, as it combines hands-on experience with the latest scientific knowledge.

Restoration practitioners play a crucial role in making sure that today’s efforts lead to forests that are not only restored, but also resilient. These forests should be able to cope with future disturbances while continuing to provide important benefits such as wildlife habitat, clean water, carbon storage, and livelihoods for years to come.