Forest and woodland managers across Britain are being urged to start planning ahead for climate change.
The Forestry Commission‘s new guidance, Climate Change and British Woodland advises managers to start choosing species now which will respond to the climate of the future.
The guide, launched at the “Trees in a Changing Climate” conference at the University of Surrey, suggests the make-up of Britain’s forests and woodlands will change significantly as climate change starts to bite.
Authors Mark Broadmeadow and Duncan Ray of the Commission’s Forest Research agency believe ash or pedunculate oak will replace beech as the most suitable broadleaved species across most of southern England.
They expect the commercial viability of Sitka spruce in England to become restricted to the south-west and north-west, while Sitka productivity is predicted to grow in Wales and Scotland. Scots pine is expected to remain suitable for most English regions but Corsican pine could be the only right type of conifer species for most of Britain.
The guide assesses the impact of expected temperature increases, changes in rainfall, windspeed, cloud cover and humidity on trees up until the 2050s.
