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New native woodlands are typically created in a small and isolated configuration, potentially reducing their value as a resource for biodiversity. The use of ecological networks for habitat restoration and creation could be beneficial for woodland biodiversity. This approach is conceptualised as local‐ and landscape‐scale conservation actions designed to increase the area, quality, amount and connectivity of habitat types. However, there is limited evidence about the value of secondary woodlands and the relative or combined effects of network variables for woodland insects. Seventy‐eight woodland sites created in the last 160 years across England and Scotland were sampled for hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) and craneflies (Diptera: Tipuloidea), using two Malaise net traps placed in the centre of each woodland. The diversity of insects supported by created woodland patches was analysed using measures of dissimilarity, and the relative direct and indirect effects of ecological network variables on their abundance and species richness were assessed using structural equation models. We found 27% of British woodland hoverfly species and 43% of British woodland cranefly species in the study sites, indicating that woodland insects are colonising created native woodlands, despite their fragmented nature. However, these species communities were highly variable across woodland patches. Landscape‐scale variables had no effect on woodland‐associated hoverflies or craneflies relative to local‐scale variables. Local‐scale variables relating to habitat quality (i.e. structural heterogeneity of trees and understorey cover) had the strongest influence on abundance and species richness. Synthesis and applications. To benefit woodland‐associated Diptera, woodland creation and restoration should maintain a focus on habitat quality. This should include active management to facilitate a diverse tree and understorey vegetation structure. Many woodlands in the UK are privately owned, and landowners should be encouraged to plant and actively manage their woodlands to increase structural heterogeneity and resources for woodland insects.

Resilience is rapidly becoming a prominent concept in research, policy and practice. However, it is apparent that there is no consistent meaning of resilience being used by those involved in governing and managing forests and tree health. We aimed to (1) identify how the concept of resilience is defined in a range of decision-making contexts, (2) develop an understanding of resilience, which will be useful in the context of tree health and forestry and (3) suggest how managers could use this understanding more broadly as a framework for decision-making on resilience within the forestry sector. Implementation of resilience for tree health needs to encompass a range of functions and services, management objectives and threats, all present at a variety of scales. We conclude that, due to the complexity of the resilience concept and forest systems, no single definition of resilience can be sufficient and it is more appropriate to explicitly consider four resilience components: resistance, recovery, transformation and adaptation. We propose a set of decision steps which stakeholders can use to develop a Resilience Implementation Framework to guide management for their system of interest.

Ecological thresholds, which represent points of rapid change in ecological properties, are of major scientific and societal concern. However, very little research has focused on empirically testing the occurrence of thresholds in temperate terrestrial ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, we tested whether a number of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem condition metrics exhibited thresholds in response to a gradient of forest dieback, measured as changes in basal area of living trees relative to areas that lacked recent dieback. The gradient of dieback was sampled using 12 replicate study areas in a temperate forest ecosystem. Our results provide novel evidence of several thresholds in biodiversity (namely species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, epiphytic lichen and ground flora); for ecological condition (e.g. sward height, palatable seedling abundance) and a single threshold for ecosystem function (i.e. soil respiration rate). Mechanisms for these thresholds are explored. As climate-induced forest dieback is increasing worldwide, both in scale and speed, these results imply that threshold responses may become increasingly widespread.

Radiology in low- and middle-income (developing) countries continues to make progress. Research and international outreach projects presented at the 2015 annual RAD-AID conference emphasize important global themes, including (1) recent slowing of emerging market growth that threatens to constrain the advance of radiology, (2) increasing global noncommunicable diseases (such as cancer and cardiovascular disease) needing radiology for detection and management, (3) strategic prioritization for pediatric radiology in global public health initiatives, (4) continuous expansion of global health curricula at radiology residencies and the RAD-AID Chapter Network's participating institutions, and (5) technologic innovation for recently accelerated implementation of PACS in low-resource countries.