Research exploring what forest managers want to know about climate change adaptation.

Adaptation to climate change involves adjusting Forest Management to anticipate future changes. Starting to adapt woodland and forests to the changing climate now is important if owners and society wish to continue to benefit from the range of services they provide, capitalise on opportunities and manage risks. Management decisions taken today will influence, in part, the extent to which future forests are able to adapt to the changes occurring to the climate.

The research reported here aimed to better understand what opportunities and barriers practitioners consider there are to implementing adaptive practice and what they want to know about the topic in order to direct future knowledge exchange activity. A series of practitioner workshops were conducted across the UK, to discuss a wide range of forestry topics and concerns.

The recommendations identified could support efforts to raise the quality and extent of adaptive practice undertaken by forestry practitioners and enhance the ability of UK forests to continue to deliver essential ecosystem services as the climate changes.