uk forestry standard and woodland management plans workshop
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UK Forestry Standard and Woodland Management Plans
Workshops
“A resilient future, a focus on species diversification”
John Weir MICForAdviser for woodland resilience England
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UK Forestry Standard
• Forest planningForest design, structure and composition needs to be resilient to the effects of a changing climate and extreme weather events.
• Adaptive managementApproaches to management that are flexible, reactive and anticipatory will help forests and woodlands adapt to the changing climate.
• Tree and shrub species selection Introducing diversity in tree species and origins will ensure some thrive should others decline.
• Landscape EcologyWoodland and trees can be used to develop ecological connectivity between habitats to enhance the ability of woodland ecological communities to adapt to climate change.
• Environmental protectionWoodland and trees that are appropriately located can help to alleviate the impacts of climate change on society and the environment.
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Conifer
Conifer Species Today
Scots Pine
Corsican Pine
Sitka Spruce
Douglas Fir
Larch (EL, HL, J L)
Other Conifer
Five conifer species account for 88% of the total
Make up of England’s conifer coverage today
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Broadleaves
Five broadleaved species account for over 72% of the total
Make up of England’s broadleaf coverage today
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What are we doing??
Globalisation
Chalara on ash
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What are we doing??
a
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Time to Wake up to the Challenge
Imagine a sawmilling industry without a
resilient forest.
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feet per day
The rate of change……..
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A change in productivity
10 tree species account for 80% of our woodland
By the 2080s, 65% of the PFE could be classed as ‘unsuitable’ in the absence of adaptation
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What are our options?
• Carry on as we are, it may not happen, but if it does?
• Implement adaptation strategies and diversify species and genetics, and it does not happen, so what, no regrets
• Implement adaptation strategies, and what is predicted does happen, great we have an advantage.
• Implement adaptation strategies and something unforeseen happens, well lets hope we have spread the risks wide enough through diversification.
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Management plan, an essential tool
• We have enough knowledge to take “Anticipatory Action”
• We know that there are uncertainties so we must be willing to be “Not Risk Averse”
• Take actions now that will make our forests resilient to the “High Emission Scenarios for 2050”
• Create insurance by creating “diversity” of species, genetics within species, stand structure and age distribution
• Plan for the expected, increased pests and diseases, more fires, more extreme events such as droughts floods and gales
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What does the past tell us?
DEAN
between wars WW2
1946 1949 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's
Grand Total
Species
Douglas fir DF 25 11 3 87 386 152 81 36 46 846
European larch EL 81 33 36 69 82 18 9 7 7 390
European silver fir ESF 2 1 3
Grand fir GF 21 27 4 52 Japanese red cedar JCR 1 1
Lawsons cypress LC 4 4 2 21 26 58
Leyland cypress LEC 1 1 1 3
Maritime pine MAP
Oriental spruce MCP 3 2 5
Mountain pine MOP
Noble fir NF 2 6 1 9
Serbian spruce OMS 5 1 6
Ponderosa pine PDP 1 1
Raoul RAN 4 5 1 10
Monteray pine RAP
Red alder RAR Western red cedar RC 5 1 24 125 54 2 1 218
Red Oak ROK 1 12 1 1 15
Roble RON 1 3 4
Coast redwood RSQ 5 3 3 1 12
Sweet chestnut SC 44 10 6 40 41 45 32 45 48 340
Weymouth pine WEP 1 2 4
Western hemlock WH 3 1 2 41 88 2 1 138
Wellingtonia WSQ 1 1 3
XB 8 8 6 26 11 4 6 3 1 107
XC 2 2 22
XF 1 1 2
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Arboreta Parks and Gardens
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http://www.forestry.gov.uk/climatechangeengland
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Tree Species Selection
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Good information in, good information out
Default very poor
Direct depends on knowledge
Good soils or plants good outputs
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Today
Uses 100m squares from Ordinance survey for DAMS and meteorological data
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The Future
• Soils and DAMS are fixed from current input
• Meteorological data at 5km
• Use 2050 for call to action
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SilviFuture
SilviFuture
•Evidence of how trees look in forest environment
• Any one can input their stand of trees, not individual specimens
• FR, FCE, FCS input some data so far
• Focus on mature trees but encourage input of new plantings
• Input site data
• Links to FR species pages, ESC 3 and FCE web
• Will be developed to act as discussion media
• Developed through FCE funding
• Seeking future finance for maintenance
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Woodlands for Climate Change Award
Woodlands for Climate Change Award
•New or restocking with primary purpose of timer production
• Anticipatory adaptation, not risk averse, working towards 2050 high scenario
• Description of how and why, 500 words max
• Minimum of 5 hectares but can comprise of smaller parcels
• Planted during past 5 years
• UKFS, FR advice and FCE advice evidence
• Entries by end of March 2014
• Climate Ready has put up the cash
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Species diversification at Restock
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Species diversification through thinning
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Using micro climate
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• Be confident
• Practice the art of Silviculture
• Leave a legacy for future generations
• Share your experiences, join 230+ on LinkedIn
• Please speak to your nursery, buy contract grown
• Look to source Grown in Britain
Thank you for taking the time to hear what is being said