Towards a research agenda for woodland expansion in Scotland

Thomas, Haydn J. D.; Paterson, James; Metzger, Marc J.; Sing, Louise

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2015.04.003

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 166 publications

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“…It is not easy to synchronise payment schemes with the increasingly fast pace of changes in the agroforestry sector, particularly forest owners' negative attitudes towards subsidies (Thomas et al, 2015). European governments have utilised a variety of financial instruments to support forest management, but their uptake has been limited so far.…”

Section: Economic Expectations From Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding private forest owners’ conceptualisation of forest management: Evidence from a survey in seven European countries

Feliciano

Bouriaud

Brahic

et al. 2017

Journal of Rural Studies

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Private forest owners' involvement in forest management has been frequently examined through the attitudes, values, beliefs, objectives and motivations associated with owning and managing forestland. Owners' views on forest management do not always align with those of policymakers who believe forest owners do not actively manage their forests. However, empirical studies on forest owners' conceptualisations of forest management are scarce. To determine how private forest owners in Europe conceptualise forest management, a survey (n = 1,140) was undertaken in seven European countries (Portugal, France, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia and Romania). The owners were asked to indicate their level of agreement with 19 pretested statements defining forest management on a five-point Likert scale. Classification and regression trees were used to explain the major factors that influenced owners' conceptualisations. Owners primarily conceptualised forest management as preserving forests for future generations and considered "a good business opportunity", "an opportunity to earn additional money" or a "source of subsidies" less important. Their understanding of forest management as a mixture of forest maintenance, ecosystem stewardship and economic activity does not match with alleged policy makers' views. Property size, age and Eastern/Western countries were the most relevant predictors of definitions of forest management. Small-scale forest owners from Western Europe considered ecosystem orientation more important, while owners from Eastern Europe considered economic aspects and forest maintenance more important. These differences might be associated with the socio-political system dynamics in Europe in the 20 th century and changing values in postmodern society. Policymakers must be aware of the different forest management paradigms among forest owners in Eastern-Central and Western Europe when designing European forest policies.

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Section: Economic Expectations From Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding private forest owners’ conceptualisation of forest management: Evidence from a survey in seven European countries

Feliciano

Bouriaud

Brahic

et al. 2017

Journal of Rural Studies

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“…Native woodland has comprised 95% of woodland creation in Lochaber despite high suitability and industry pressure for productive forestry. While we recognise the numerous benefits of native woodland (Thomas et al, 2015), this nevertheless conflicts with the Scottish Government's ambition that 60% of new woodland should be for softwood production (FCS, 2009;WEAG, 2012).…”

Section: The Influence Of Ecological Suitability On Woodland Planningmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…However, these benefits vary by woodland type and over woodland lifetime, and are not necessarily guaranteed (van der Horst and Gimona, 2005). Despite this, there has been very little evaluation of woodland grant schemes, primarily due to the long time scales associated with woodland growth (Thomas et al, 2015). To account for the time-lag between planting and longer-term woodland benefits, we assess whether modelled site conditions, particularly climate, will constrain growth or establishment for woodland planted over the last 25 years in the Lochaber Forest District, Scotland.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evaluation of Scottish woodland grant schemes using site suitability modelling

et al. 2019

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“…There are undoubtedly strong arguments to be made for increasing forest and woodland cover in the British Uplands (e.g. Thomas et al 2015), but it would be incorrect to suggest that heathlands and peatlands hold no or little ecological value, or that one has to choose between these ecosystems and forests at a national or landscape scale. Heathland and bog ecosystems have statutory conservation recognition not just in the UK but in many other regions of Europe (European Commission 2013).…”

Section: The Ecological Value Of Moorland Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Informed debate on the use of fire for peatland management means acknowledging the complexity of socio-ecological systems

Davies¹,

Kettridge²,

Stoof³

et al. 2016

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The effects of fire and its use on European peatlands and heaths are the focus of considerable research and debate due to the important services these ecosystems provide and the threats they face from climatic and land-use change. Whilst in some countries ecologists are actively promoting the restoration of historic fire management regimes, in the UK the debate has become increasingly acrimonious. Positions seem entrenched between continuing the intensive form of management associated with grouse moors or ceasing burning and seeking to eliminate fire altogether. In a recent paper we argued that participants' positions appeared influenced by political and philosophical beliefs associated with, for example, private land-own- FORUM PAPER Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservationA peer-reviewed open-access journal G. Matt Davies et al. / Nature Conservation 16: 59-77 (2016) 60 ership, hunting, and associated conservation conflicts such as raptor persecution. We also suggested there was inadequate engagement with key concepts and evidence from fire and peatland ecology. We argued that management debates should aim to be inclusive and evidence-based, and to understand the benefits and costs of different fire regimes. In a strongly-worded critique of our paper, George Monbiot (author of "Feral: Searching for Enchantment on the Frontiers of Rewilding") suggested we: i) framed our research question too narrowly; ii) made the implicit assumption that moorlands were the "right" ecosystem for the UK countryside; and iii) failed to adequately engage with arguments put forward for cessation of managed burning. Here we critically examine each of these issues to provide further insight into how adaptive, participatory land-management could develop. We argue that a productive debate must acknowledge that complex trade-offs are inevitable during ecological management. Choosing the "right" ecosystem is difficult, especially in a landscape with a long history of human influence, and the answer depends on the values and ecosystem services we prioritize. Natural resource management decisions will be improved if based on an understanding and valuation of the multiple scales and levels of organization at which ecological diversity exists, the role of disturbance in controlling ecosystem composition and function, and the need for participatory action.

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Towards a research agenda for woodland expansion in Scotland

Cited by 31 publications

References 166 publications

Understanding private forest owners’ conceptualisation of forest management: Evidence from a survey in seven European countries

Understanding private forest owners’ conceptualisation of forest management: Evidence from a survey in seven European countries

An evaluation of Scottish woodland grant schemes using site suitability modelling

Informed debate on the use of fire for peatland management means acknowledging the complexity of socio-ecological systems

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