A guide to help foresters and agents implement adaptation actions
The UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) sets out the government’s approach for sustainable forest management with regard to climate change. The UKFS provides the basis for the advice and guidance found within this guide, which looks specifically at woodlands and forests in England. To be UKFS compliant, a woodland should have an approved creation or management plan. The management plan should consider the risks that climate change represents to the management objectives of the woodland, and how those risks might be minimised. England’s woodlands have been managed during previous centuries under the assumption that the environment they are growing in will be relatively stable. This key assumption is no longer valid.
Managing climate change risk is now a critical part of managing our woodlands, and we must make significant changes to widely accepted and practised forest management in England. This century, there has been a large increase in the number of pests and diseases attacking our trees, and this is compounding the challenges of adapting to a changing climate.
