Berglind conducts research on knowledge, values, attitudes and behaviours of people who engage with and manage treescapes. Berglind currently researches the values and wellbeing benefits associated with treescapes, partly using qualitative longitudinal research methods. She also examines management practices responding to tree pests and diseases – projects which feed directly into policy and support schemes as they’re being developed. Berglind is specifically interested in:
• The potential of qualitative longitudinal research for contributing to our scientific understanding of people’s relationships with nature.
• The ways in which interactions with nature or changes in local natural environments affect people’s values.
• The dynamic interactions and relationships between nature and people and the importance of investigating changes over time.
• How information is disseminated to different audiences and translated into action. Specifically in relation to tree health and management of pests and diseases.
Berglind joined the Social and Economics Research Group in early 2019, and is also currently undertaking a PhD on the ‘Impacts of Tree Planting on Human Values and Wellbeing’ at the Countryside and Community Research Institute. She has a background in conservation and has worked on projects across the tropics. In 2017, Berglind completed her master’s thesis on human barriers and enablers to amphibian captive breeding programmes in the tropics. This work led to a position with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust where she contributed to monitoring and evaluation.
Affiliations
Royal Forestry Society
Berglind Karlsdóttir
BSc, MSc
Social Scientist
Society and environment research group (SERG)
Forestry Commission office
620 Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
BS16 1EJ
Related Research
Related Publications
Other Research
Research projects
Bridging the knowledge to action gap for tree health
Role: Co-lead managing an interdisciplinary team, investigating and implementing solutions to knowledge-action gaps for tree health
The social dimensions of oak processionary moth (OPM) management
Role: Investigating local authorities’ planning and strategic responses to OPM
Understanding land managers’ behaviours for tree health policy options
Role: Data collection, analysis and reporting. Particularly involved in investigating how tree health knowledge transforms into action
Active Forests Programme Evaluation
Role: Evaluation of the Forestry England Shaun the Sheep family activity trail. This also led to an evaluation of the Gruffalo Spotters trail
SMARTIES – Surveillance and management of multiple risks to treescapes
Role: Stakeholder mapping, questionnaire and interviews with stakeholders managing ash trees
Assessment of large-scale plant biosecurity risks to Scotland
Role: Project conducting tracing exercises on large scale plantings for landscaping and infrastructure projects.
Peer reviewed journal articles
Alonso Chávez, V., Brown, N., van den Bosch, F., Parnell, S., Dyke, A., Hall, C., Karlsdóttir, B., Marzano, M., Morris, J., O’Brien, L., Williams, D. and Milne, A.E. (2025). Early detection strategies for invading tree pests: Targeted surveillance and stakeholder perspectives. Journal of Applied Ecology.
Ambrose-Oji, B., Urquhart, J., Hemery, G., Petrokofsky, G., O’Brien, L., Jones, G. D., & Karlsdóttir, B. (2024). The opportunities and challenges to co-designing policy options for tree health with policymakers, researchers and land managers. Land Use Policy, 136, 106974.
Ambrose-Oji, B., Goodenough, A., Urquhart, J., Hall, C., & Karlsdóttir, B. (2022). ‘We’re Farmers Not Foresters’: Farmers’ Decision-Making and Behaviours towards Managing Trees for Pests and Diseases. Forests, 13(7), 1030.
Watkins, H., McLinden, A., O’Halloran, S., Karlsdóttir, B., Pollard, C., Labib, E., & Marzano, M. (2022). GIbase1.0: A database of green infrastructure plant species in England and Scotland. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3(1), e12133.
O’Brien, L., Karlsdóttir, B., Ambrose-Oji, B., Urquhart, J., Edwards, D., Amboage, R., & Jones, G. (2021). How Can Local and Regional Knowledge Networks Contribute to Landscape Level Action for Tree Health? Forests, 12(10), 1394.
Karlsdóttir, B., Barsoum, N., Stokes, V. & Ambrose-Oji, B. (2021). What needs to change for managers to diversify tree species to improve resilience to pests and diseases within the UK’s production forests? Quarterly Journal of Forestry.
Karlsdóttir, B., Knight, A., Johnson, K., & Dawson, J. (2021). Lessons from practitioners for designing and implementing effective amphibian captive breeding programmes. Oryx, 55(3), 382-392. DOI:10.1017/S0030605320000332
Jervis, P., Karlsdóttir, B., Jehle, R., Almeida-Reinoso, D., Almeida-Reinoso, F., Ron, S., Fisher, M.C. & Merino-Viteri, A. (2020). Disease reservoirs threaten the recently rediscovered Podocarpus Stubfoot Toad (Atelopus podocarpus). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 14(2).
Reports
Brockett, B., Hall, C., Karlsdóttir, B., Colley, E. and Murrell, G. (2025) Mapping the social benefits of woodland creation and expansion – proof of concept for setting up a longitudinal network. Final Report to Defra
Karlsdóttir, B. Ambrose-Oji, B., Colley, E., Marks, E., Hards, J., Teverson, D., Lobley, M., Wheeler, R., & Jones, N. (2023). Overcoming the Knowledge to Action Gap (March 2021-September 2023). Final Report to Future Proofing Plant Health.
Karlsdóttir, B. Ambrose-Oji, B., Colley, E., Marks, E., Hards, J., Teverson, D., Lobley, M., Wheeler, R., & Jones, N. (2023). Overcoming the Knowledge to Action Gap: Year 2 Interim Report to Future Proofing Plant Health.
Karlsdóttir, B. (2023). Qualitative Longitudinal Methods for Forest Social Science. Opportunities, feasibility, and methods: a review. Forest Research, UK
Karlsdóttir, B., Ambrose-Oji, B., Paterson, A., Spencer, K., Drummond, C., Buttle, M., Lobley, M., Wheeler, R. Winter, M. & jones, N. (2022). Overcoming the Knowledge to Action Gap Interim Report to Future Proofing Plant Health. Report to Future Proofing Plant Health.
Karlsdóttir, B. and Pollard, C. (2022) The Dashboard Approach Programme 3: Using the dashboard approach for research knowledge exchange. Forest Research, UK
Marzano, M., Ambrose-Oji, B., Karlsdóttir, B., Paterson, A., & Pollard, Chris. (2021). An Evaluation of the support measures for management of oak processionary moth (OPM). Farnham, Surrey: Forest Research report to Defra.
Karlsdóttir, B., Pollard, C., Paterson, A., Watkins, H., and Marzano M. (April 2021). Assessment of large-scale plant biosecurity risks to Scotland from large scale plantings for landscaping and infrastructure projects: Project Final Report. PHC2019/05. Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Plant Health (PHC), Scotland.
Ambrose-Oji, B., Karlsdóttir, B., and Jones, G. (2021) Knowledge to Action: Overcoming the gap between the generation of plant health knowledge into action with hard to reach (HtR) audiences. Forest Research, UK
Burton, V., Karlsdóttir, B., Synes, N., Seo, B., Brown, C., Marzano, M., Ambrose-Oji, B. and Watts, K. (2021) Modelling a socio-ecological system: A proof of concept study. Forest Research, UK
Marzano, M., Ambrose-Oji, B., Karlsdóttir, B., Paterson, A., Pollard, C., Stokes, J. and Rix, H. (2021) An evaluation of the support measures for management of oak processionary moth (OPM). Forest Research, UK
Marzano, M., Ambrose-Oji, B., Karlsdóttir, B., Atkinson, M., Pollard, C., Moseley, D, Stokes, J. and Rix, H. (2020) Understanding landowners approaches and information needs for risk-based approaches to management of oak processionary moth (OPM). Forest Research, UK
Ambrose-Oji, B., O’Brien, L., Hall, C., Karlsdóttir, B., Robinson, J., Jones, G., Amboage, R., Urquhart, J., Leake, B., Hemery, G. and Petrokofsky, G (2020). Understanding behaviours as the basis for policy design to improve the management of (tree health) outbreaks and build resilient treescapes. Forest Research, UK
Karlsdóttir, B., O’Brien, L., and Forster, J. (2020) Shaun the Sheep. Glow Trail and Glow Run Evaluation. Forest Research, UK
Ambrose-Oji, B., O’Brien, L., Hall, C., Karlsdóttir, B., Robinson, J., Jones, G., Amboage, R., Urquhart, J., Black, J., Hemery, G., Petrokofsky, G., Dandy, N and Turner, C (2019). Understanding behaviours as the basis for policy design to improve the management of (tree health) outbreaks and build resilient treescapes. Forest Research, UK