Week 7.docx

Week 7 – Climate change in the National Forest The national forest in the midlands used to be coal mines Hicks lodge has be transformed Working towards sustainable living and working against climate change in the real world – low carbon, high nature, positive well being Trees as a catalyst for chan...

Week 7 – Climate change in the National Forest The national forest in the midlands used to be coal mines Hicks lodge has be transformed Working towards sustainable living and working against climate change in the real world – low carbon, high nature, positive well being Trees as a catalyst for change The national forest had 9 million trees planted in 30 years Tree cover went from 6% in 1991 to 22% in 2021 Mechanisms of tree planting: Working with local authorities through the planning system Land acquisition Grant aid to landowners – private or public Impacts on biodiversity: Increases species abundance and species richness In comparison to the national trend, the national forest has seen percentage increases in all small mammals, bats, birds and butterflies (all national trends have decreased) 450,000 tonnes of carbon stored in the National Forest but ash dieback could reduce this by 50,000 How do you improve carbon sequestration rates? Currently require over 80% broadleaf Majority native or naturalised However, conifers sequester carbon more quickly But need to balance carbon sequestration and local fit for biodiversity and landscape Is that feasible if landowners are relying on income from carbon? Are native broadleaf species going to be resilient moving forward? Restoring Resilient Ecosystems: Aims to unpick and examine the essential elements required for ecosystem restoration, focusing on UK woodlands and grasslands RestREco considers complexity and resilience as fundamental aims for restoration projects, rather than attempting to re-create specific target ecosystems. Ecological Restoration is seen as an important tool in halting and reversing biodiversity loss and climate change. One central concept of ecological restoration is that of “indigenous reference systems” with projects aiming to recreate specific target species assemblages. However, using these reference systems to define endpoints for restoration is increasingly difficult for two reasons: ‘pristine-native’ states are often hard to define, and climate change is leading to a shifting baseline. Carbon Removal Beyond Tree Planting: peatland restoration – peatlands occupy 12% of UK land enhanced rock weathering – silicate rocks absorb CO2 so are used on land afforestation – adding tree cover to areas without trees bioenergy crops – Miscanthus grass and coppice willow which capture CO2 Biochar – carbon rich charcoal spread on land Biochar: Very little work done on effects of adding biochar to temperate woodland If no negative effect, could provide huge opportunity for carbon capture Test site in the Forest where biochar was incorporated into soil prior to tree planting Different application methods have been trialled, including surface spreading and burial Ways to reduce carbon emissions in the first place: Sustainable low carbon tourism – E-bike holidays, greenwood days, timber festival Forest accommodation – charnwood wigwams, rosliston forestry centre Progress: 35.5% increase in visitor numbers 36.3% increase in visitor spending 36.5% increase in tourism jobs All seen in national forest from 2003 to 2019 Accommodation development: Increase the supply of ‘on brand’ sustainable tourism accommodation to meet market expectations Support landowners and developers to embed the principles outlined in the design guide within their development plans Support landowners and developers to be pre-app ready Sustainable design principles: Manage water wisely Integrate with nature Promote carbon emission free holidays Build ethically and sustainability Promote carbon emissions free holidays Develop in harmony with the Forest character Design for health and well being Support the forest community and economy Nature connection and well-being in the UK: UK ranks 14th in EU in nature connection, 11th in biodiversity, 14th well being 80% of new sites provide access to the public – they are near where people live and work Using the forest for learning: Funding for infrastructure development on site and nearby Funding for Forest School training for staff Establishment of an outdoor learning network allowing schools to learn from each other 6x more primary schools in regular outdoor learning in 2022 Natural health service: Green social prescribing - the practice of supporting people to engage in nature-based activities to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Green social prescribing enables more people to experience nature as an effective way of improving mental resilience and supporting mental health. National cross-governmental ‘Test and Learn’ pilots. Influence policy change at a national level System change to drive efficiency and joining up health, social care and communities Funding better targeted to improve the nation’s health Maximising wellbeing benefits: We are collaborating with researchers from the University of Derby to look at how different types of treescapes affect people’s perceived wellbeing while walking in nature Eight walks established across the National Forest, all accessible through the GoJauntly app Data collected will inform our future planting designs to maximise benefits for people National forest projects: Over 60 individual community groups and organisations across the Forest involved in regularly managing woodlands and community greenspaces. Community Woods network – active network of groups where sharing of resources, knowledge, skills and ideas is encouraged. Over 40,000 volunteer hours recorded in the National Forest 2021-22 How are the project funded?: DEFRA National lottery heritage fund Nature for climate fund Corporate sponsorship Individual donors Private investors Blending public and private finance: Habitat restoration provides a wealth of benefits Many corporate and private investors keen to support these Mechanisms for this support currently messy and unclear NFC about to embark on project to assess how private financing can be incorporated to support landowners to provide nature-based solutions