Summary
Optimal soil conditions or ‘soil health’ is the foundation of forest health, including providing resilience in the face of environmental change. This research aims to improve interest in and uptake of science-based guidance and advice to maintain or improve forest soil health for forest resilience. We will be working with private woodland managers and public sector forestry professionals to understand their soils assessment needs and to design and test an assessment approach which is useful and useable across a range of contexts.
Research Objectives
Taking a transdisciplinary approach, our team of soil scientists, soil surveyors/trainers, forestry practitioners, and social scientists will work with key forest management stakeholders to:
- Understand their soils assessment needs
- Help them to understand their soils
- Design and test a soils assessment approach which is useful and useable and accounts for varying conditions and needs
Latest Update
- Partnering with Sylva and Forestry England, we have recruited a cohort of woodland managers and forestry professionals across a variety of soil management contexts to take part in the project.
- Participants have taken part in online interviews with the social science team, in which we explored their experiences of managing soils, perceptions of ‘soil health’ and resilience, sources of information and advice, and knowledge needs.
- The interviews have been analysed and the findings, alongside those from a literature review, have been presented and discussed at a team workshop.
- We are in the process of analysing the results of a survey of a wider range of woodland managers and forestry professionals on the same topics.
- Desk-based summaries of site soil type information will be shared with participants shortly.
- The social research findings will inform the design of the soils assessment protocol, with an initial draft planned for completion this March.
Funding & Partners
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This research is funded by DEFRA through Future Proofing Plant Health.
