As we come to the end of 2023, I am delighted to report that Sylva Foundation has continued to flourish. In this impact report you will read how our vision of a society that cares for nature, while living with it in harmony, is evident in all the diverse areas of our charity. Fundamental to this are our key values, and in this, our third impact report, I am delighted to share how one of our values – innovation runs throughout our work at Sylva Foundation.
More than ever, the past year has demonstrated how innovation takes many forms at Sylva. While you will read about our exciting projects, innovation at Sylva Foundation is also about our approach – we are a small charity, but through innovation we are able to punch above our weight. We look to the latest technologies and inspiring collaborations; we develop creative ways to support the woodworking sector, and unique approaches to improving resilience to climate change.
This impact report also gives us the opportunity to highlight the wonderful people who have contributed to Sylva’s work. From those in the UK forestry sector, to our new ‘stewardship scientists’; from the participants at our Woodworking and Gender seminar, to our unique collaborations within the furniture industry; these are but a few of those who have ensured our work at Sylva has gone from strength to strength. I would also like to thank all of our supporters, and in particular, our Sylva Friends. The scheme recently had its first anniversary, and is proving invaluable in providing us with steady support, allowing us to plan and develop our work.
I hope you enjoy reading our Impact Report for 2023, and once again thank you for your continued interest and support.
Dr Gabriel Hemery FICFor Chief Executive Sylva Foundation
An innovative training course took place in collaboration with the Northwoods Innovation Programme to trial planned enhancements to the myForest Inventory system.
At the end of September, woodland owners and managers had the opportunity to test new myForest Inventory functionality that helps them to collect and process forest data. Funded through the Forestry Commission’s Forestry Innovation Fund, the course was run by the myForest team and with experienced forester and trainer Will Richardson of RDI Associates. The course kicked off in the classroom to provide the context for a woodland inventory and how it can help woodland owners get the most out of the woodland. The group then headed out into the woods to collect data; while the last section of the course focused on the woodland owners producing a woodland inventory in myForest.
The aim is to help demystify and streamline the inventory collection process and automate data calculations, allowing owners and managers to quickly read what is in their woodland. myForest is aiming to launch the enhanced Inventory functionality early in 2024, but if you have any questions beforehand, please get in touch.
A new video has been released to showcase the innovative training course that took place in collaboration with the Northwoods Innovation Programme to trial planned enhancements to the myForest Inventory functionality. See below.
We have been proud to support an important research exercise horizon scanning issues that are likely to affect forest management in the UK within the next 50 years. Sylva Foundation CEO Dr Gabriel Hemery was one of the co-authors of a scientific paper published today in the International Journal of Forest Research.
A well-used horizon scanning methodology was adopted by a diverse Expert Panel who collated and prioritised a long-list of 180 issues to arrive at a final list of 15 priority issues.
The Fifteen Issues
The 15 horizon scan issues identified were as follows
Catastrophic forest ecosystem collapse
Increased drought and flooding change the social costs and benefits of trees
Forest management becomes more challenging due to changing seasonal working windows
Protecting and enhancing soil microbial ecology becomes a higher priority
Viruses and viroids emerge as pathogens of increasing importance for trees
eDNA revolutionizes our understanding of forest ecosystems
Trees are at the heart of future urban planning
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) drives transparency and investment in nature-positive management
Natural capital funding streams are greatly upscaled
New technologies facilitate widespread adoption of smart silviculture
New technologies improve worker health and safety
New wood product markets stimulate more active forest management
UK commercial forest resources may not match future value chains
Unpredictable supply and demand dynamics in global wood product markets
International commitments will spotlight ecosystem integrity and drive monitoring efforts
“The issues represent a diverse range of themes, within a spectrum of influences from environmental shocks and perturbations to changing political and socio-economic drivers, with complex emerging interactions between them. The most highly ranked issue was ‘Catastrophic forest ecosystem collapse’, reflecting agreement that not only is such collapse a likely prospect but it would also have huge implications across the sector and wider society.”
Tew et al. (2023). “A Horizon Scan of Issues Affecting UK Forest Management within 50 Years.” Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research.
Thematic analysis of workshop discussions. The coloured panels on the left and right, and circle in the middle, indicate the three major categories that were identified. Key themes are indicated by the white squares and boxes. Rounded triangles denote issue numbers placed against the part of the model they most closely align to.
Citation:
Tew, Eleanor R, Bianca Ambrose-Oji, Malcolm Beatty, Ulf Büntgen, Holly Butterworth, Gerard Clover, Dan Cook, et al. 2023. “A Horizon Scan of Issues Affecting UK Forest Management within 50 Years.” Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, November, cpad047. Read full article