CEO Dr Gabriel Hemery recently attended a two-day conference bringing together leading researchers, practitioners and policymakers to dig deep into the science and stories behind UK Treescapes.
Gabriel delivered a talk about the innovative Forest Lab project which Sylva Foundation delivers in partnership with Forest Research, funded by Defra. He talked about how the project was enabling land managers to collect and share information about their woodlands, becoming ‘Stewardship Scientists’. In return, land managers benefit by working alongside some of the country’s leading researchers. Scientists also gain knowledge and understanding about the needs of practitioners, helping to prioritise future research agendas.
The event, held at a venue near Durham, featured new research, thinking, policy and practice around resilient and biodiverse treescapes. It was organised by Defra, the Future of UK Treescapes, and the Centre for Forest Protection.
Gabriel also Chaired a session exploring the mapping of opportunities for woodland creation, especially with a view to enabling better connectivity across the landscape. Separately, he a took part in a panel discussion exploring Natural Capital Indicators Development and Outcomes with Colm Bowe from Liverpool John Moores University, Comparing Carbon Budgets for Different Land Use Options Wind, solar or forestry with Carly Whittaker from Forest Research, and Interactions between dimensions of diversity to support forest resilience: species, genes, and epigenetic effects with Stuart Smith from The James Hutton Institute.
Recordings from presentations and discussions will soon be made available by the conference organisers at: https://britainsforestfuture.zohobackstage.eu
