Climate-ready forestry at Queen Elizabeth Forest Park
Queen Elizabeth Forest Park (QEFP) is managed with multiple objectives, including timber production, recreation, tourism, conservation, and slope stability. A key adaptation strategy has been increasing species and structural diversity, notably reducing the proportion of even-age Sitka spruce from 65% to 50%.
Climate change poses several risks to QEFP, such as rising temperatures that could enhance forest growth until the 2060s, increased storm frequency leading to windthrow, flooding, and landslides, and more frequent pest and disease outbreaks due to warmer conditions. The forest has a medium to high wind risk and contains steep slopes vulnerable to landslides—damage from storms like the 2012 event has been significant. Increased winter rainfall adds to storm and flood risks, especially in nearby towns.
To address these challenges, forest planners use climate impact assessments with tools like ESC (Ecological Site Classification) and ForestGALES to evaluate species suitability and wind risk. Adaptation measures include diversifying species planting—introducing novel conifers, restoring ancient woodlands, increasing native broadleaf areas (target 40%), and removing infected larch to prevent the spread of Phytophthora ramorum. Long-term strategies involve converting some areas to continuous cover forestry and managing riparian zones for conservation, water quality, and flood risk reduction.
Natural flood management techniques are being implemented, such as installing timber bunds, woody debris dams, ponds, and planting native trees in riparian areas to resist flow and improve habitat. The forest is also managed for high wind risk and slope stability, especially in vulnerable zones, to minimize damage from storms and landslides. Ongoing monitoring includes automatic weather stations and research to model climate impacts and evaluate adaptation measures.
Lessons learned highlight the importance of accessible climate impact data, suitable tools, and operational support to overcome barriers to adaptation. The overarching goal is to develop a resilient, diverse, and productive forest that continues to meet broad management objectives. The work at QEFP serves as a demonstration of how climate-ready forestry can be implemented through collaboration, research, and strategic planning.
[https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2022/05/UKFSPG026_CS1_QEFP.pdf
\\ Climate-ready forestry at Queen Elizabeth Forest Park \
\] (en)
Number of pages: 3
Target countries: United Kingdom
Key takeaways
- Increasing species and structural diversity is a core adaptation strategy
- The forest management at QEFP is focused on diversifying conifer species, restoring ancient woodlands, and expanding native and broadleaf woodland to enhance resilience to climate change impacts.
- Climate change risks include increased storm events, flooding, landslides, and pest outbreaks
- Projected warmer growing seasons, increased winter rainfall, and storm frequency threaten forest stability, necessitating risk assessments and adaptive management, such as replanting practices and riparian habitat restoration.
- Use of decision-support tools guides climate adaptation efforts
- Tools like ESC for species suitability and ForestGALES for wind risk assessment enable informed land management decisions aligned with climate projections.
- Implementation of natural flood management and riparian habitat restoration mitigates climate impacts
- Techniques including timber bunds, woody debris dams, and native tree planting are improving water management and habitat quality, reducing flood risks in catchment areas.
- Monitoring and research activities underpin adaptive management
- Installing weather stations and modeling climate impacts help evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation measures, informing future actions and sharing lessons learned.
- Barriers to climate adaptation include need for accessible impact projections and climate tools
- Partnerships have identified operational and planning challenges, emphasizing the importance of improving climate data accessibility and understanding to support resilient forest management.
Sources
- Climate-ready forestry at Queen Elizabeth Forest Park \
\ - - https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2022/05/UKFSPG026_CS1_QEFP.pdf \\
