Woodlands provide us with number of benefits They supply softwoods and hardwoods, which have variety of uses. They provide a variety of habits for many species of wildlife, adding biodiversity to an area. They allow for a number of recreational pastimes. However, we and our woodlands need to prepare and adapt to a changing climate, one in which winters may be milder and summers hotter and drier.  Extreme weather events are also becoming more common.  So woodlands need to be resilient.  If they are resilient, then: They recover better from disturbances, like fire or disease Generally fare better when challenged by storms or floods. A number of government agencies have produced booklets / downloadable files (PDFs) on how to address the possible problems associated with the changing climate.  The advice seems to fall into three basic categories. Increase the range of trees in your woodland, promote diversity.  Look for trees that not only match your site (soil, aspect etc) but also might cope with future climate conditions.  If the climate is drier, then trees which have done well in the past might struggle in the new conditions.  For example, beech was noticeably affected by the drought in the summer of 1976.  Look for trees that can cope or unaffected by disease and insect pests and are from a reputable source and free of disease. Review the management of your woodland. For example, what and when to thin, create access and paths, openings or glades which can improve the diversity of the plants at ground level.  Paths and openings will also improve access within your woodland. [caption id="attachment_41085" align="aligncenter" width="674"] Woodland path covered with mast[/caption] When planting new trees, think about where the trees come from. What conditions do they are experience in their home environment, can they cope with drought. It may be that trees species that usually grow in more southerly areas of Europe will be better suited to the changing conditions. As mentioned above there are a number of publications / guides to help with increasing the resilience and diversity of your woodland.  Some of these are listed in the links below : The Climate Change Hub has a number of informative fact sheets and videos. Information about increasing species diversity from Natural Resources Wales. Improving structural diversity in woodlands from Natural resources Wales:  Forest Research has produced a detailed practice guide on woodland management and climate change. The Government website has numerous links and publications, eg. Advice of new trees and woodlands in light of climate change.

We know that forests are important to all life on the planet.  They have often been referred to as the ‘lungs of the earth’, a reference to the fact that they produce vast quantities of oxygen - which is essential for respiration for so many forms of life.  They also take up carbon dioxide and ‘fix’ it into complex organic molecules - from starches, to cellulose and lignin.  Thus, the carbon is locked away for months, years or even millennia.  The equatorial forests of Brazil and Sumatra are species rich, incredibly diverse, but deforestation and the expansion of agriculture are threats to many biodiverse, forested areas across the world. As so many forests and woodlands have been felled, there is now a movement to plant millions and millions of trees (across the world) in an attempt to mitigate climate change and in the UK to increase our percentage tree cover from a pretty low base.  Sadly, twentieth century forestry in the U.K was largely based on monocultures (for timber production). The trees planted were large stands or plantations of conifers - using Scots Pine, Larch and Spruce. These plantations not only lacked biodiversity, but were / are susceptible to wide scale pest infestation and extreme weather events.   Woodlands and forests that have a diverse range of tree species are not only healthier but show greater growth and carbon fixation. They are more resilient.  The diversity of trees ensures the each species accesses slightly different resources from the environment  - from soil minerals, water and light.  Diversity means that trees of the same species are less likely to be clustered together so pest and pathogen outbreaks are less common or less severe.  One area that has undergone an extensive and diverse planting regime is Norbury Park Estate (near Stafford).  Since 2009, over 100 different tree species have been planted, and the woodlands can now produce 1500 tonnes of new wood each year, and harvest 5000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air.  Not only can diverse woodlands / forests fix carbon, supply harvestable timber but they also offer areas for rest and relaxation. Whilst it is not possible to plant an 'instant' forest or woodland, it is possible to plant a range of tree and shrub species that will in time grow and mature to form a diverse and species-rich area.  As Charles Darwin said many years ago “more living beings can be supported on the same area the more they diverge in structure, habits, and constitution” [On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, 1859] Managing woodlands for wildlife - see here.   N.B.  Opens a PDF.    

Following the First World War, the UK’s woodland coverage was at an all time low – just 5 per cent of total land area. The Acland Committee reported to then Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, that state organisation would be the most effective way to bring about re-afforestation of the UK and plan for the future of British woodland.   As a result, the Forestry Commission was set up and, throughout the early decades of the twentieth century, it voraciously bought up land.  The aim of the Forestry Commission was to ensure that there would be a strategic reserve of timber, so, as it acquired land, it began to plant - mainly with conifers . ‘Low grade’ lands (those that were less in demand for agriculture) were pressed into service such as areas around Thetford Chase and Kielder, as were some sandy coastal sites (e.g. Holkham in Norfolk Read more...

Some sixty six million years ago, much of the Earth ‘caught fire’.  A large asteroid smashed into the Earth (on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico).   The force of the impact has been estimated to have been a billion times greater than the force of the atomic bombs deployed at the end of WW2.   The impact of the asteroid and its effects were devastating, resulting in catastrophe on a global scale.   The event has been mainly associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs.  Immediate to the impact, rocks and material was ejected high into the atmosphere - as this material fell back to earth, searing heat was generated and fires were ignited; indeed, intense forest fires were ignited certainly across the Americas.    Read more...