Launching – Woodlands for Climate Change Award
A new Woodlands for Climate Change Award has been launched as part of the 2014 RFS Excellence in Forestry Awards in association with Forestry Commission England and England’s Climate Ready Support Service led by the Environment Agency.
Woodlands for Climate Change Award looking at restocking and new plantations
The award has been introduced alongside existing RFS Excellence in Forestry categories to raise awareness of, and promote the importance of, managing woods for resilience to increased threats to woodlands from pests, disease and climate change. It will reward planting that uses more diverse native and novel tree species to ensure Britain continues to produce quality timber.
The Woodlands for Climate Change Award, is free to enter and open to all woodlands throughout England where tree plantings over the past five years, both new and restocking, are creating sites that should be resilient to the predicted challenges of climate change and pests and diseases.
There are prizes of £1,000 and £500 and entries must be received by 31 March 2014. Go to www.rfs.org.uk/involved/woodlands-for-climate-change-2014 or contact Trefor Thompson at rfscompetition@boyns.net or call him on 01824 704230 for details.
RFS Development Director Simon Lloyd says: “The RFS is delighted to partner with the Forestry Commission and England’s Climate Ready Support Service to run the Excellence in Forestry Woodlands for Climate Change award. Currently 80% of our timber is produced from just 10 species of broadleaf and conifer, and several of these, such as larch, Corsican pine and ash are severely threatened by disease. Many woodland owners are considering what species to plant and which silvicultural regime to adopt to better protect their woods against the risk of climate change. Encouraging owners who have been through this process in the last five years and are willing to share their experience will help all woodland owners make better informed decisions.”
John Weir, FC England Adviser, Woodland Creation and Resilience, says: “A key strategy to adapting to a changing climate and the increases in pests and diseases is to diversify the tree species used in forestry. Foresters should also be obtaining quality seed from locations more suited to our future climate. These are two criteria among many found within the climate change guidelines supporting the United Kingdom Forestry Standard.”
Liz Parkes, Head of Climate Change, Climate Ready Support Service, says “Changes in climate such as higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns could have profound impacts on the productivity, economic viability, and future opportunities for forestry. We very much welcome positive action by the forestry sector to consider and address some of these issues through greater species diversity and general woodland management.”
The Award envisages the primary purpose of the plantings will be for the production of sustainable timber. Plantings must demonstrate anticipatory adaptation through selection of tree species suitable for the present but also anticipating the future climate.
Woodlands planted during the past five years are eligible and must be no less than 5 hectares in size (although this could include several smaller compartments or mixed restocking and new planting).
Also being held in 2014 is a Best of England Championships with winners of RFS Excellence in Forestry Awards over the last five years invited to compete across five categories – Duke of Cornwall (Multipurpose ) RFS Silviculture Award, Small Woodlands (including Farm), Community Woodlands and Schools Awards.
Winners of the Woodlands for Climate Change Award and the Best of England categories will receive their awards at a special event at Upton Estate on 9 July 2014.
