Research investigates ‘unplanted’ trees and climate change targets
NEW woodlands, planted to mitigate climate change, need not require a huge amount of effort, Welsh researchers believe.
Nature herself can be relied upon to establish more tree cover without any human intervention, according to a Bangor University researcher.
PhD student Theresa Bodner is investigating how “unplanted” trees – those seeding naturally – are faring in the countryside, and how these might be included in woodland expansion targets.
“According to the latest government report, around 3% of trees are growing outside existing mapped woodlands,” she said. “These include trees which have naturally colonised previously unwooded land.
“In a country where we only have around 13% total woodland cover, that is 750,000ha of extra tree cover that can be used to achieve climate change targets.
“This is an obviously valuable resource. It’s also one we know very little about, as these trees are not included on formal maps and planting plans.”
Theresa, a third year PhD student at Bangor’s Sir William Roberts Centre for Sustainable Land Use, is basing her research on the Bluesky National Tree Map.
Created from high resolution aerial photography and colour infrared imagery, the map accurately records the location, height and canopy for every tree in the UK over three metres in height. More than 300m trees are on its database.
Data from this map is being compared with that from other, publicly available maps, and combined with interviews with farmers and landowners.
The results should identify the locations of unplanted trees – and how they relate to
proposed woodland schemes such as the Glastir land management scheme.
Theresa is focussing her research on the Carneddau uplands covering 21,000ha in Snowdonia National Park.
This is a complex landscape with different land uses and ownerships, as well as protected areas and common land. It also has cultural and archaeological significance.
“This is a perfect place to look at trees outside woodlands as not only a forestry topic, but also of a wider relationship with different land uses altogether,” said Theresa.
“We can explore where trees outside woodlands are located, on what type of land they grow on and their potential role in meeting our woodland targets.”
Dr Norman Dandy, director of the Sir William Roberts Centre, said more attention is now being given to ways in which woodlands can be expanded with limited management.
“Natural regeneration and colonisation, including by trees outside woodlands, is being taken increasingly seriously as a way of mitigating climate change,” he added.