Woodland ecosystems are integral to our health, well-being, security and economy, but they face a number of pressures including climate change, land-use intensification, and emerging pests and diseases. This Research Note explores the links between biodiversity, measured at different levels of organisation (genes, species and communities), and the ability of woodland ecosystems to withstand and […]
Growing threats to biodiversity from pressure of land use, climate change, and invasive pests and diseases highlight the importance of obtaining accurate baseline measurements of current forest biodiversity, as well as improved monitoring to detect early signals of change. Developments in molecular techniques have advanced to the stage that there are now practical methods available […]
This Research Note presents the findings of a study which examined how biodiversity changes with stand age, with a view to incorporating it into optimal forest rotation length modelling. The study reviewed relevant literature and analysed Forestry Commission Biodiversity Assessment Project data. The review revealed no simple or universal response of biodiversity to stand age. […]
This publication covers the management and biodiversity data collected during the first National Inventory of Woodland and Trees (NIWT1) that were not published with the main statistics on woodland area. Many of these data were collected for the first time during this National Inventory project.
This Technical Paper brings together a series of papers presented at the symposium ‘Birch in spruce plantations: management for biodiversity’ held at Scottish Natural Heritage’s Battleby Conference Centre, Perth, in February 1997. The aim of this symposium was to present the findings from a series of collaborative research projects funded jointly by the Forestry Commission […]
Managing Forests for Biodiversity was the title of a one-day symposium, organised by the British Ecological Society’s Forest Ecology Group, and held at the Maybury Hotel, Edinburgh on 2 September 1992. This Technical Paper is a record of papers presented at the symposium plus additional information, preceded by a brief introductory review. The symposium was […]
Maintaining species’ movement around landscapes is considered important if we are to conserve populations of many species and help them adapt to climate change. Particular features in the landscape have the potential to hinder or facilitate species movement. As each species interacts with the landscape differently, it can be hard to extract general patterns to […]
This Information Note describes in more detail how profiles for species, both real and ‘generic, are used in such tools. Terminology describing the use of different species in ecological studies and landscape modelling is also defined.
This Information Note explains the scientific principles behind the approach being developed as BEETLE – Biological and Environmental Evaluation Tools for Landscape Ecology.
This Note describes the influence of domestic stock on woodland habitats and their associated flora and fauna and provides guidance on the use of domestic stock to re-create, maintain and enhance the characteristics of semi-natural woodlands.
This Research Note describes the ecological value of Great Britain’s native oaks, as reflected in the biodiversity supported by the trees and ecosystem functions the trees perform.
To protect biodiversity in the face of environmental change, there is a need to designate and manage areas of habitat for rare and threatened species. However, to identify the right areas usually requires detailed data on species distributions. Reliable data for rare and protected species are sparse as many species are cryptic and under-recorded. The […]
Practising sustainable forestry means managing our forests in a way that meets our needs at present but that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. They will rightly expect that their forests and woodlands offer at least the same benefits and opportunities as we enjoy today. To sustain these expectations, […]
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