Summary
This research aims to develop and expand a national Research Forests Network – a coordinated series of experimental and demonstration sites across Great Britain.
The Network will provide critical evidence to support climate-smart forestry, helping foresters, land managers, and policymakers adapt to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and emerging pests and diseases.
By linking scientific research with practical demonstration, the project will test species selection, forest management approaches, and genetic conservation strategies. It will also create opportunities for collaboration across disciplines, ensuring long-term data, knowledge exchange, and innovation to safeguard the resilience of future British treescapes.
This project has been funded by the UK Government through DEFRA’s Forestry Research and Development programme.
Research Objectives
- Deliver specific relevant silvicultural and genetics forest research to further understanding of the natural science and economics of climate-smart forestry (details below).
- Identify external collaboration opportunities to derive maximum value from our experiments and existing data by ensuring they support a range of modelling efforts.
- Strategise, launch and publicise the RF Network to attract new interdisciplinary experiments on other topics (e.g. soil science, pests and diseases, carbon, economics, biodiversity).
- Ensure that scientists work together to agree experiment designs that can address multiple research questions, identify efficiencies, and ensure successful establishment.
- Provide a network of demonstration sites and knowledge exchange and impact opportunities for forestry and land managers to learn about and gain confidence in emerging practices.
Funding & Partners
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DEFRA
