Integrate Darnaway – Tree Marking for Resilient Forests

Summary Description:

Sustainable forest management in Britain must balance environmental, economic and social values. Foresters must integrate many factors to maintain timber production while preserving ecosystem functions. One approach that delivers this balance is called Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF). This involves decisions at the individual tree level. The selection of trees to retain/remove at each intervention is called “tree marking” – a key skill for forestry practitioners. Through tree marking, a forester can link their planning and design work with action that brings about positive change in the forest. However, training in this area is lacking and recognised as a barrier to wider use of CCF. This project, therefore, addresses a national training priority. It includes the development of a course and establishment of a training site at Darnaway Forest, with two training plots called Marteloscopes. The primary focus is skills development but there is significant opportunity for research on human-tree decision making.