Overview
This project aims to better understand climate change risks to woodland created on, or proposed for, sites classified as Vacant or Derelict Land (VDL).
It aims to highlight specific risks which may be elevated on VDL sites due to their unique features.
Further, this project aims to identify, develop, and communicate guidance on adaptation and mitigation measures to practitioners and stakeholders.
The project will publish recommended management actions to improve risk management and help ensure woodland on VDL is climate change ready.
This project is part of the .
Research objectives
- Identify and explore climate risks to planned and established woodland on Vacant & Derelict Land (VDL).
- Identify potential actions to manage climate risks to planned and established woodland on VDL.
- Simultaneously scope wider sector requirements for guidance to support delivery of climate resilient woodland establishment on VDL.
Research Questions
- What are the main risks from climate change to woodland creation, establishment, and management on Vacant & Derelict Land (VDL)?
- How can the resilience of woodland on VDL be improved?
- What adaptation measures could be implemented to ensure new woodland on VDL are adapted to the future climate?
- What methods of knowledge exchange would be most useful to practitioners working to establish woodland on VDL, to share the project insights generated?
- What are the wider ‘immediate’ sector needs relating to existing guidance to support delivery of regeneration projects, and what is required to support/ deliver this?
Findings and Recommendations
The project team has made significant progress on several goals. In September 2023, a stakeholder engagement workshop was held, bringing together relevant Vacant & Derelict Land (VDL) regeneration stakeholders. The workshop focused on identifying and discussing the risks that climate change poses to the creation and management of woodlands and greenspaces on VDL land, both now and in the future.
The climate change risks identified during the workshop guided a literature review and gap analysis work package. This work aimed to identify existing research and guidance on adapting to and mitigating these risks in woodlands on VDL land.
The review found that certain climate change risks are exacerbated on VDL sites due to inherent features such as poor soil quality and depth. Moreover, there is little explicit guidance or research specifically addressing climate change risks to woodlands on VDL sites. However, some guidance from more conventional woodland sites may be adapted to help VDL woodland stakeholders with risk adaptation and mitigation.
Latest updates
The project team is working with external experts to update a decision support tool, specifically a soil-depth model for VDL sites. Once finished and available online, this tool will let practitioners enter site locations and soil variables. It will then calculate a minimum soil thickness needed to help ensure that mature trees receive enough water during the growing season. Additionally, the tool will include future climate projections to show the soil thickness required under both current and future climate scenarios.
