The canopy cover Webmap of the United Kingdom’s towns and cities

This paper summarises the results of Forest Research’s citizen science canopy cover webmap. Tree canopy cover was measured by contributors to the project in 5,749 urban wards in the UK using a random sample, manual image classification tool called i-Tree Canopy. The area-weighted mean canopy cover across urban areas in the UK was found to be […]

SUPERB – Upscaling Forest Restoration

Forest Research, working with Forestry and Land Scotland, is leading a forest restoration Demo for the EU Horizon2020 “SUPERB” project. This demonstrates conversion to continuous cover forestry, establishment of high-elevation forests, and riparian woodlands with natural flood management measures, and will work with stakeholders to examine potential for upscaling.

Supporting Sustainable Land Management in Wales (ERAMMP)

Kate Beauchamp

Revised valuation of flood regulation services of existing forest cover to inform natural capital accounts.

The ability of trees, woodlands and forests to reduce downstream flooding is increasingly recognised and valued by society, driving a demand for assessments of this important ecosystem service. This study updates a previous evaluation (Broadmeadow et al., 2018) with improved estimates for the volume of flood water potentially removed by woodland or retained by its […]

Intimate mixtures of Scots pine and Sitka spruce do not increase resilience to spring drought

Understanding how we can increase the resilience of forest systems to future extreme drought events is increasingly important as these events become more frequent and intense. Diversifying production forests using intimate mixtures of trees with complementary functional traits is considered as one promising silvicultural approach that may increase drought resilience. However, the direction and magnitude […]

The potential for agroforestry to reduce net GHG emissions in Scotland through the Woodland Carbon Code

This research examines the potential of agroforestry to contribute to meeting greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets outlined in Scotland’s Climate Change Plan, and the economic viability of adopting agroforestry practices. It finds agroforestry has potential to sequester carbon and is generally financially viable, but benefits vary according to different factors.

New evidence to inform woodland creation for climate change mitigation

Robert Matthews

Novel dendrochronological modelling demonstrates that decades of reduced stem growth predispose trees to Acute Oak Decline

• Novel dendrochronological modelling was developed to explore oak stem growth trends. • Trees with long-term AOD symptoms may have been predisposed many decades earlier. • Diseased trees struggle to take advantage of favourable growing conditions. • Historic episodes of stress may impact the future resilience of oaks to disturbance.

Diameter, height and volume increment single tree models for improved Sitka spruce in Great Britain

The British forestry sector lacks reliable dynamic growth models for stands of improved Sitka spruce, the most important commercial forest type in Great Britain. The aim of this study is to fill this gap by trialling a new modelling framework and to lay the foundations of a future dynamic growth simulator for that forest type. […]

Simultaneous estimation of Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. salzmannii natural regeneration emergence and survival through lifetime analysis

We developed a climatic sensitive model to simultaneously estimate the emergence and survival of Corsican pine natural regeneration in Spain through lifetime analysis. This work is highly relevant for managing the species in a context of climate change. Our modelling approach represents a breakthrough in the state of the art of lifetime analysis.

The FOrest Biodiversity Index (FOBI)

Forest Research, Forestry & Land Scotland and Forestry England have co-developed an evidence based, repeatable approach for assessing the biodiversity potential of the National Forest Estate. Several extent, condition, connectivity and diversity metrics are measured and aggregated into a Combined Biodiversity Index. An online, interactive tool allows users to explore mapped scores.

Dynamic top height models for several major forest tree species in Great Britain

New dynamic top height models for 10 major species in Great Britain for pure, even-aged stands