A new research programme involving ENU experts to identify a shortlist of tree species suited to current and future climactic conditions in Wales is set to go ahead – following similar work in Scotland.
Forest Research, Great Britain’s leading forestry research agency, has been commissioned by Welsh Government to develop a list of tree species which will help strengthen the resilience, productivity and long-term sustainability of Welsh woodlands.
ENU researchers will work with Woodknowledge Wales and Bangor University to develop the shortlist for Forest Research.
It follows similar programmes across the UK – which also involved ENU. Scotland recently completed its own shortlisting project, funded by Scottish Forestry, and parallel work is now underway in England, funded by Defra.
The Welsh project will run alongside the work in England, creating significant opportunities for collaboration, alignment and shared learning across the three nations in areas such as tree breeding, plant and seed supply, and silvicultural research. A key focus of the work in Wales will be on research into wood properties and market development, an Edinburgh Napier University specialism.
Marlene Cramer, Research Assistant in Wood Science and Technology, Edinburgh Napier University, said: "We’ve been working for several years at Edinburgh Napier University - collecting important knowledge on wood properties on various wood species through laboratory testing and archival research.
“This project will help us fill some of the critical gaps – and I am particularly looking forward to helping to make this collected knowledge more accessible and relevant.
“It’s been so interesting to be working with such a varied range of wood types. For some of them this the first time they have had attention from UK wood scientists in almost a century!"
David Edwards, lead researcher on the project at Forest Research said: “The forestry sector has long relied on a narrow range of productive tree species. As climate change accelerates and threats from pests and diseases continue to rise, the need to diversify tree species in Wales has become increasingly urgent.
“Developing agreed regionally focused shortlists of suitable species, in collaboration with experts and stakeholders across the forestry sector, will help strengthen the resilience, productivity, and long-term sustainability of Welsh and UK woodlands.
“Collectively, the initiatives across Wales, England, and Scotland represent one of the most comprehensive and coordinated evidence gathering exercises ever undertaken for commercial tree species selection in the UK.
“This will support and inform forestry diversification programmes and will deliver an evidence-based, nationally aligned foundation that the entire forestry sector can build upon.”
The purpose of the shortlists is to support strategic decision-making across the sector. The shortlists are not intended to prescribe species choices at the operational or site level, where land managers will continue to consider local conditions, objectives, and preferences in line with the UK Forestry Standard and other guidance.
Beyond identifying species shortlists, the assessment framework developed through these projects will offer lasting value as a tool for strategic planning, operational decisions, knowledge exchange, education, and workforce training as well as highlighting gaps in existing evidence that should be prioritised for future research.
The project comes in the same week as ENU forestry research forms part of a new exhibition at the V&A Museum in London.
It also builds on a growing body of policy-shaping work in the timber construction sector, such as ENU’s contribution to the UK Government’s Timber in construction roadmap and Scottish Forestry’s ‘Routemap to Resilience’.