New climate change hub launched for forestry sector

The Climate Change Hub was launched by Defra, Forest Research, Scottish Forestry and Welsh Government today.

The Climate Change Hub - which centralises the latest resources, information and guidance on climate change adaptation to support landowners, woodland managers and forestry practitioners in addressing climate change threats – was launched by Defra, Forest Research, Scottish Forestry and Welsh Government today (Monday 20 February).

The projected rate of climate change is unprecedented, from warmer summers to more frequent extreme conditions such as drought periods and heavy rainfall events. Action is needed now to improve the resilience of forests and woodlands, and to protect the benefits that they provide, including carbon sequestration.

The Climate Change Hub, managed by Forest Research, centralises and distils the latest information and UKFS (United Kingdom Forestry Standard) guidance on climate change adaptation to encourage uptake of adaptive practice by forest and woodland owners and managers. It provides concise information about risks from the changing climate, how to identify suitable adaptation measures and examples of how other managers are implementing adaptive practice.

There is no single recommended approach to climate change adaptation, as each woodland has different objectives and conditions. To enable managers to make informed decisions for their own woodlands, the Climate Change Hub also includes detailed guidance through the decision-making process, step-by-step, including information about the online tools available to support risk management and species choice.