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Forestry Research: Research Note

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48 Search Results

  • Publications

    Using DNA barcoding and metabarcoding to detect species and improve forest biodiversity monitoring

    Lead Author: Nadia Barsoum
    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 […]
  • Publications

    Assessing the investment returns from timber and carbon in woodland creation projects

    Lead Author: Richard Haw
    Financial returns from woodland creation have traditionally been generated from sales of timber. In recent years, the voluntary carbon market has established and grown in the UK and landowners can now generate additional revenue from the sale of carbon. The sale of carbon ‘credits’ allows landowners to increase their financial returns by creating woodlands for […]
  • Publications

    Choice of silver birch planting stock for productive woodlands

    Lead Author: Steve Lee
    Silver birch is second only to oak in terms of total broadleaved woodland area in Britain. In the last two decades there has been an increase in the planting of birch woodlands both for timber production and the creation of native woodlands. The GB map of Native Seed Zones and Regions of Provenance provides guidance […]
  • Publications

    Ecological impacts of ash dieback and mitigation methods

    Lead Author: Alice Broome
    Ash is a widespread species which makes a substantial contribution to many landscapes. Ash trees are affected by ash dieback, a disease caused by a fungus. It is clear from the European experience of the disease that a significant number of ash trees could be lost from woodlands in the UK over the course of […]
  • Publications

    Implications of lowland broadleaved woodland management for the conservation of target bird species

    Lead Author: Alice Broome
    This research consisted of a literature review and field study which investigated woodland management for birds within lowland broadleaved woodlands in Britain. The research considered the effect of woodland management (silvicultural intervention and control of deer browsing) on vegetation structure, and the relationships between vegetation structure and woodland birds. Based on habitat–bird relationships, a classification […]
  • Publications

    Valuing the social and environmental contribution of woodlands and trees in England, Scotland and Wales

    Lead Author: Pat Snowdon
    This Research Note is based on a review by the University of Exeter that evaluated existing knowledge on valuing the social and environmental contributions of British trees and woodlands. It starts by bringing together different (but related) economic terms and concepts in a single framework for understanding how trees and woodlands contribute to economic well-being, […]
  • Publications

    Timber properties of noble fir, Norway spruce, western red cedar and western hemlock grown in Great Britain

    Lead Author: David Gil-Moreno
    The softwood processing sector in Great Britain has been built around the use of a very small number of timber-producing species – predominantly Sitka spruce. The recent increase in outbreaks of host-specific tree pests and diseases has led to an interest in diversification, through planting a wider range of tree species, to mitigate any risk […]
  • Publications

    The implications of upland conifer management for breeding birds

    Lead Author: John Calladine
    Stand structure is an important determinant of habitat quality for forest biodiversity and is influenced by management. In conifer plantations, the varied structure created within a stand by continuous cover forestry (CCF) systems has been expected to be better for woodland birds than the range of discrete stand structures created through rotations of clearfelling and […]
  • Publications

    Converting planted non-native conifer to native woodlands: a review of the benefits, drawbacks and experience in Britain

    Lead Author: Nadia Barsoum
    Planted forests of non-native conifers make up around 36% of Britain’s total wooded area. Increasing the area of native woodlands – including converting non-native conifer to native woodland where appropriate – is an aim of the UK Forestry Standard Guidelines on Biodiversity. It is unclear how much conversion is being implemented, what the motivations might […]
  • Publications

    Understanding the provision of conifer seed for woodland species

    Lead Author: Alice Broome
    Conifer seed provides an important food resource for many woodland mammals, birds and insects, including some of Britain’s rarest species. This Research Note brings together information from a number of sources on cone and seed production by the main conifers planted in Britain. This information can help managers assess the seed resources of their woodlands […]
  • Publications

    Biodiversity and rotation length: economic models and ecological evidence

    Lead Author: N. Barsoum
    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. […]
  • Publications

    The influence of climate change on forest insect pests in Britain

    Lead Author: David Wainhouse
    Predicting future risks of damage by insect pests is an important aspect of forest management. Climate change has the potential to affect forest pests and their impact on trees through higher temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events. Warmer temperatures are likely to have complex effects on insects, influencing, among other things, […]