Summary: This project will investigate the habitat development and ecological value of woodlands created using a range of approaches, including tree planting, natural colonisation, and a combination of these.
Project background: Woodland expansion is the focus of many restoration efforts because of its potential to aid biodiversity recovery, mitigate climate change, and contribute to people’s livelihoods and well-being. In the UK, woodland creation schemes have contributed to increasing woodland cover from a historic low of 5% in the early 1900s to the current figure of 13%, and the UK Government has pledged to plant an additional 30,000 ha of trees per year up to 2050. Historically, tree planting has been the most common woodland expansion strategy in the UK, but this approach is increasingly questioned following failures, overestimates of benefits and poor targeting [1]. Consequently, there is growing interest in incorporating ecological processes such as ‘natural colonisation’ (i.e. allowing trees to colonise new areas naturally) into large-scale woodland expansion strategies [2]. This is partly because it is assumed that naturally created forests will be cheaper, more effective and more resilient (e.g. to tree disease and pests) than planted sites. Naturally colonised sites are also perceived to lead to more heterogenous and complex woodlands of higher ecological value than planted woodlands [3]. However, much of this evidence is drawn from regions with quicker habitat successional rates (e.g. the tropics) and where landscapes have not been as heavily degraded as in the UK, and it’s unclear how applicable this is to temperate regions. Whilst both tree planting and natural colonisation have the potential to play important complementary roles in woodland cover expansion [4], a combination of these approaches may also be beneficial and assist natural processes by enhancing seed dispersal and ameliorating the local environment [5]. However, there is a need to understand how tree planting and natural colonisation processes interact, and how they can most effectively be used in combination to speed up woodland creation and the accrual of biodiversity and other environmental benefits.
Key research questions: The overall aim of this studentship is to investigate how woodland development and habitat structure differ among woodlands created through i) planting, ii) natural colonisation, and iii) a combination of these two approaches (e.g. low density planting followed by natural colonisation). Specific questions to address may include:
1) Do woodland development rates differ among woodlands created through different approaches along the natural-vs-planted continuum, and if so, what is the most effective strategy to speed up woodland creation?
2) What are the ecological mechanisms underlying woodland expansion/development in woodland creation sites along a natural-vs-planted gradient, e.g. does the relative importance of zoochory vs. allochory differ and is this reflected in the tree species composition?
3) How does woodland creation method (i.e. planted vs. natural vs. combined) influence woodland habitat structure and what are the consequences of this for woodland biodiversity?
4) How do woodland creation methods affect the wider public benefits (i.e. ecosystem services) provided by the woodland?
Methodology: Fieldwork will be conducted in woodland creation sites established through a range of approaches encompassing planting and natural colonisation methods (and a combination of these). These will include sites already identified by Forest Research’s Woodland Creation & Expansion group, following a systematic site selection protocol to control the effects of woodland age and proximity to seed sources (i.e. distance to mature woodland). Ecological surveys will be conducted along a transect from established mature (e.g. ancient) woodland to ‘new’ woodland areas to characterise the vegetation structure (e.g. tree size and density) and tree species composition with increasing distance to seed sources. Where available, open source LiDAR data will be used as an additional method to describe the three-dimensional structural complexity of the woodland sites. The abundance and species richness of potential zoochoric vectors (e.g. ants, birds and small mammals) will be quantified using a combination of sampling methods (e.g. pitfall traps for invertebrates, point counts and acoustic recorders for birds, live traps and camera traps for mammals). Societal perspectives and wider public benefits (e.g. recreational use and amenity value) will be assessed through empirical observation and (walking) interviews. There is also scope for the student to investigate how woodland biodiversity (taxonomic group(s) of their choice) utilise new woodland areas created through planting, natural colonisation and a combination of these methods.
Timeline: Year 1. Literature review; training in GIS (to refine site selection), experimental design and field surveying techniques; initial fieldwork. Year 2. Fieldwork; data analysis; collection of data on stakeholders’ perceptions of different woodland creation strategies. Year 3. Fieldwork; data analysis; paper and thesis write-up.
Training: A comprehensive training programme will be provided comprising both specialist scientific training and generic transferable and professional skills, including: 1) Experimental design and field surveying techniques for a range of taxonomic groups; 2) Numeracy, data analysis and ecological modelling skills; and 3) Land-use policy and management. The student will benefit from having Forest Research as a CASE partner, and an experienced supervisory team with expertise in woodland ecology, conservation science and ecosystem services. They will be encouraged to present their research at national and international conferences and will be supported in writing first author publications during the PhD.
Requirements: The ideal student would hold an excellent first degree in ecological/environmental science (or related biological discipline) and have good quantitative skills. Previous knowledge of woodland ecology and experience in relevant field surveying methods would be advantageous but is not essential.
Application Process: Please apply through the E4 DTP website https://www.ed.ac.uk/e4-dtp/how-to-apply/application-process
Continue with Facebook
