Matching species to site and future conditions
Tree species are the basic building blocks that form any forest or woodland. If a species is weakened by the impacts of climate change, this could change the composition of the woodland and affect the organisms that live there. Wise species choices can help forests adapt to the changing […]
How can careful choice of provenance of planting stock make forests more resilient to the changing climate?
Provenance is a forestry term used to describe the location of the stand from which reproductive material (seeds or cuttings) was collected. The choice of provenance of planting stock used to establish new woodlands and the management of existing […]
How much carbon is there in our woodlands?
Forests are a key part of the global carbon cycle. As trees grow, carbon is removed from the atmosphere, so there is much interest in tree planting and woodland expansion to help slow down the increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases that is causing rapid climate change. It is […]
Will the impact of damaging forest insects increase?
Insects provide many critical ecosystem services, such as pollination, decomposition and pest control. Many beneficial insects appear to be in decline, due to habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. Only a few insect species have become damaging pests of trees, but their occurrence and impact may unfortunately […]
What are the key risks to our forests and woodland?
There are many risks to UK forests, woodlands and trees from climate change trends and extreme weather events. These risks can be managed to reduce the potential impact on our forests and the ecosystem services they provide. This factsheet highlights the main risks from climate change […]
The changing climate is affecting our trees, forests and woodlands, how they grow and survive and the important ecosystem services they provide. For our forests and woodlands to thrive, adaptation measures must be considered carefully, and action taken. Ten measures to reduce climate risks and improve resilience are presented.
Canker-inducing pathogens kill the inner, living bark of trees resulting in poorer growth or mortality of affected individuals which limits their contribution to climate change mitigation.
Milder and wetter winters, followed by increased spring rainfall, are likely to enhance the survival and infection potential of many tree pathogens. Hotter, drier summers leading to drought stress in trees will also increase their susceptibility to disease and expand the distribution range of some pathogens. The increased incidence and severity of diseases caused by Phytophthora species reduces the benefits that trees provide, including climate change mitigation.
The three main fungal root pathogens already present in the UK, causing significant damage in forestry, are described along with the likely impact of climate change on their spread and severity.
The six main foliar pathogens already causing significant damage to conifers and broadleaved tree species in the UK are described along with the likely impact of climate change on their spread and severity.
We use 3 types of cookie. You can choose which cookies you're happy for us to use.
Strictly necessary cookies
Always On
These essential cookies do things like remember your progress through a form.
They always need to be on.
Cookies that measure website use
We use Google Analytics to measure how you use the website so we can improve it based on user needs.
Google Analytics sets cookies that store anonymised information about:
how you got to the site
the pages you visit on forestresearch.gov.uk and how long you spend on each page
what you click on while you're visiting the site
Cookies that help with our communications and marketing
Some forestresearch.gov.uk pages may contain content from other sites, like YouTube or Flickr, which may set their own cookies. These sites are sometimes called ‘third party’ services. This tells us how many people are seeing the content and whether it’s useful.
