Research forests are areas designated for woodland-based studies that have the potential to deliver operationally-relevant information about the management of woodlands in Great Britain.
An important characteristic of Research Forests, particularly when being used for long-term monitoring activities, is that they continue to be managed in line with the forest management objectives already defined for each individual woodland area.
The potential to develop comprehensive datasets, often spanning decades, whilst simultaneously encouraging positive collaboration between forest managers and scientists, makes Research Forests an ideal test bed for experimentation, case studies, woodland-based demonstration areas, and comparative research.