Spatio-temporal variability in climate can both disrupt and buffer ecosystems during directional climate changes. These processes play out over multiple temporal and spatial scales and are sensitive to species traits, demography, and the ability of species to disperse and colonize new sites. This talk will describe three case studies that examine forest vulnerability to climate change that span multiple spatial and temporal scales and range from species-specific process based approaches to coarse-filter strategies that are agnostic to species and their biology. The first study examines plant hydraulic failure and the role of topography in mediating species sensitivity to climate. The second study examines tree recruitment after disturbance and its sensitivity to interannual variability in climate. The third assesses climate change exposure metrics and insights they can provide for understanding the capacity of populations to track changes in climate through time.