Scientists from Britain's Forestry Commission have presented papers at an international conference in Istanbul, Turkey, held to discuss 'Forest Ecosystems in a Changing Environment - identifying future monitoring and research needs'.
The conference was funded by the EU through its initiative to foster Co-operation in Scientific and Technical Research (COST), and held as a strategic workshop in partnership with the International Co-operative Programme on Forests (ICP Forests), an organisation that helps to co-ordinate forest research across Europe.
The work of ICP Forests has resulted in co-ordinated and extensive data collection that enables scientists to consider how forests are responding to international influences such as air pollution and climate change.
A considerable amount of research has been based at the Forestry Commission’s Alice Holt Research Forest near Farnham in Surrey, which has been a base for research since the 1950s. It is a woodland site that is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in forest monitoring and evaluation. In addition, since 1994, more intensively monitored forest plots in all parts of the UK have helped scientists understand forest ecosystems' responses to specific environmental conditions.
Dr Nadia Barsoum, a forest ecologist in Forest Research’s Environmental & Human Sciences Division and leader of the UK’s Intensive Forest Monitoring Network, commented,
“We were delighted that we were invited to this important conference to present research commissioned by the Forestry Commission.
"We were sharing the stage with more than 150 scientists from across Europe, so it was a welcome opportunity to contribute our findings to the wider forest research community, and to learn from them.
"Climate change is an issue that transcends country boundaries. This means that forest monitoring programmes must be designed carefully at a wide geographical scale and in close collaboration with other European nations.”
Dr Rona Pitman, also an ecologist in the Environmental & Human Sciences Division, added,
“The work at the Alice Holt Research Forest over the past 50 years has helped to demonstrate some of the effects of atmospheric pollution. The value of understanding how forests respond to environmental change is hugely important, especially with regard to climate change and how forests will respond in the future.”
Information in poster form was presented at the conference on a range of topics, including:
- the effects of forest pests on tree growth and soil nutrients;
- the effects of climate change on the ability of tree seeds to survive and grow; and
- the ways in which ozone can damage young trees grown in commercial tree nurseries.
Other Commission staff contributing material on these topics included Dr Peter Gosling, Dr Mark Broadmeadow, Dr Elena Vanguelova and Ms Sue Benham.
NOTES TO EDITOR:
- The full name of ICP Forests is the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests. It operates under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Trans-boundary Air Pollution, and is a programme for gathering comprehensive information on forest condition in Europe, in co-operation with the European Union. ICP Forests was launched in 1985 in response to growing public awareness of possible adverse effects of air pollution on forests, and 41 countries currently participate. For further information visit www.icp-forests.org.
- The Forestry Commission works to improve the lives of people in Britain through the many benefits provided by sustainably managed woods and forests, including sustainable timber production, public recreation, nature conservation, and rural and community development. It does this by supporting woodland managers with grants, tree felling licences, regulation and advice; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Ministers in the UK, Scottish and Welsh Assembly Governments on forestry policy. It manages more than 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of public forest land owned or leased by Ministers to provide the above benefits, and conducts scientific research and technical development relevant to forestry. For further information visit www.forestry.gov.uk.
- Forest Research is the agency of the Forestry Commission that conducts world-class scientific research and technical development relevant to forestry for internal and external clients. For further information, visit www.forestresearch.gov.uk or contact one of the following research liaison officers:
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