We’re pleased to report that a peer-reviewed research article has been published based on research undertaken in 2021 as part of our British Woodlands Survey.
The paper’s full title is: Managing Trees Species of High Social and Cultural Value: Forest Manager Attitudes towards Pest and Disease Risks to Oak in Britain. Sylva Foundation’s researchers Dr Gabriel Hemery and Dr Gillian Petrokofsky were co-authors alongside those from Forest Research and Bangor University.
The paper drew extensively upon the results of our 2021 British Woodlands Survey which explored attitudes to oak health among some 600 woodland owners and managers who generously responded. We are also very grateful to supporting organisations who helped promote the survey among the sector.
The Abstract reads as follows:
The values of forests have been extensively researched by focusing on general public perspectives with different frameworks used to categorise them. Studies have also explored forest manager values; however, there is limited evidence on the values they associate with specific tree species. Understanding more about managers’ values regarding a particular species is important when considering how they make decisions and might respond to tree pests and disease threats. In this study, we explored forest managers’ values regarding oak trees and the effects of a particular pest and disease risk known as Acute Oak Decline on these. This paper outlines the results from interviews with forest managers in England and a survey of private forest managers in Britain to capture the ways in which they value the oak trees they own, manage, or influence. Forest manager types included private owners of single or multiple properties, forestry professionals, businesses, and tenants. The results show that oaks were highly valued by forest managers as an iconic cultural species in the landscape and for their timber. Veteran and ancient oak trees were considered very important, and managers were more likely to spend time and resources attempting to conserve these oaks due to their perceived cultural value. Those who had trees that were suffering from Acute Oak Decline were also more likely to spend resources on them to save the trees or try to reduce the impact of the disease. Gaining a better understanding of forest managers’ attitudes towards protecting species they value is important as it has implications for their decision-making and management behaviours. It can also help to provide relevant bodies with information on how best to develop and communicate guidance and advice on monitoring and reporting disease symptoms, as well as managing oak tree health.
The full paper is freely available to read online.
