Bill Mason, DSc, BA, BSc, MICFor

Senior Silviculturist, Centre for Forest Resources and Management

Bill Mason studied French and Spanish at Cambridge and Forestry at Bangor before undertaking postgraduate studies in tree physiology at Imperial College, London. He joined the Forestry Commission in 1977 and was a forest manager in East England and South Scotland before transferring into Forest Research in 1982. He was awarded a DSc by the University of Bangor in 2007.

During the 1980’s he was the project leader responsible for research on forest nursery production systems – much of the work is summarised in Forestry Commission Bulletin 111 ‘Forest Nursery Practice’. In 1992, after a secondment to the Scottish Office, he became Head of Silviculture (North) with oversight of all research programmes relating to the management of forests in northern and western Britain for multi-purpose benefits. He was responsible for the research programme on Alternative Silvicultural Systems for conifer forests with a particular emphasis on Continuous Cover Forestry.

From 2004-2009 he was Head of Forest Management Division with responsibility for leading the research programmes relevant to silviculture, conifer tree improvement, timber quality and technical development throughout Britain.

Since April 2009 he has taken on a new role with a particular emphasis on the links between species choice, silviculture and forest management in the light of anticipated climate change..

Current role

Senior Silviculturist, Centre for Forest Resources and Management

Current programmes

• Continuous cover silviculture
  Advice on the development of suitable stand management techniques for the transformation of conifer plantations to diverse and varied forests. Also carrying out research on mixed species stands in conifer forests.
• Expected climate change and options for EU silviculture (ECHOES)
  Integrating the existing scientific knowledge for European forest policymakers and managers who make decisions on adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.
• Emerging species and provenance choice
  Project Manager.
  Identifying and testing species and/or provenances that may be deployed in British forests as part of an adaptation strategy to projected climate change.
• Management of long-term experiments
  Project Manager.
  Oversight of long-term silvicultural experiments including species and provenance choice.

Affiliations and achievements

• Committee member of the Continuous Cover Forestry Group (chair of Scottish committee)
• Member of the editorial board of Silva Fennica and the International Forestry Review
• Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters
• Winner of 2009 James Cup for best article in the Quarterly Journal of Forestry
• Co-chair of IUFRO working group 1-08 “Silviculture and ecology of spruces”.

Research areas

• Silvicultural systems for conifer forests
• Mixed species stands and species choice
• Long-term field experiments

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Main recent publications

Mason, B., Edwards, C., and Hale, S.E. (2011). Continuous Cover Forestry in larch plantations: a case study in central Scotland. Scottish Forestry 65(3), in press.

Edwards, D., Jensen, F., Marzano, M., Mason, W.L., Pizzirani, S., and Schelhaas, M-J. (2011). A theoretical framework to assess the impacts of forest management on the recreational value of European forests. Ecological Indicators, (11), 81-89.

Mason, W.L. and Meredieu, C. (2011). Silvicultural strategies, sustainability, and adaptation to climate change in forests of the Atlantic region of Europe. Journal of Forest Planning, 16, 1-11.

Mason, W.L. and Perks, M.P. (2011). Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) forests in Atlantic Europe: changes in forest management and possible consequences for carbon sequestration. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, supplement 11, 72-81.

Macdonald, E., Gardiner, B.A., and Mason, W.L. (2010). The Effects of Transformation of Even-Aged Stands to Continuous Cover Forestry on Conifer Log Quality and Wood Properties in the UK. Forestry, doi:10.1093/forestry/cpp023

Mason, W.L. (2010). Respacing naturally regenerating Sitka spruce and other conifers ^(PDF-1995K). Forestry Commission Practice Note 16, Forestry Commission, Edinburgh.

Hale, S E., Edwards, C., Mason, W.L., Price, M., and Peace, A. (2009). Relationships between canopy transmittance and stand parameters in Sitka spruce and Scots pine stands in Britain. Forestry  82(5):503-513.

Mason, W.L. and Glenny, I.J. (2009). Implementing continuous cover forestry in a mixed broadleaved woodland in north Nottinghamshire; results after twenty years. Quarterly Journal of Forestry, 103, 185-193.

Mason, W.L., Nicoll, B.C., and Perks, M.P. (2009). Mitigation potential of sustainably managed forests. In: Combating Climate Change – a role for UK forests: main report. The Stationery Office, London. pp 100-118.

Mason, W.L., Jinks, R.L. and Harrison, A.J. (2008). An Overview of Long-term Forest Experiments in Great Britain managed by Forest Research. In: Karlsson, Kristian (eds.). 2008. Long-Term Field Experiments in Forest Research. Metlan työraportteja / Working Papers of the Finnish Forest Research Institute 105. 47 s. ISBN 978-951-40-2144-2 (PDF).

Mason, W.L. (2008). Natural regeneration of Sitka spruce in the Forest of Ae: development over 25 years. Scottish Forestry, 62, 2-9.

Mason, W.L., Connolly, T., Pommerening, A., and Edwards, C. (2007). Spatial structure of semi-natural and plantation stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in northern Scotland. Forestry, 80(5), 567-586.

Mason, W.L. (2007). Silviculture of Scottish forests at a time of change. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 24, 41-57.

Mason, W.L. (2007). Changes in the management of British forests between 1945 and 2000 and possible future trends. Ibis, 149, (Suppl. 2), 41–52.

Mason, W.L., Dedrick, S., Dittrich, F., Droste, C., Kennedy, S., Ni Dhubhain, A., Soalleiro, R.R., Skovsgaard, J-P., Slodicak, M., Spiecker, H., Stahr, J. Stefanik, I., and von Teuffel, K.  (2007).  Forest Production. In: EFI Discussion Paper 13, European Forest Institute, Joensuu, Finland, pp 33-36.

Edwards, C., and Mason, W.L. (2006) .Stand structure and dynamics of four native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) woodlands in northern Scotland. Forestry, 79, 261-277.

Mason, W.L. (2006). Managing mixed stands of conifers and broadleaves in upland forests in Britain. Forestry Commission Information Note 63, Forestry Commission, Edinburgh.

Mason, W.L. (2006). Transformation of conifer plantations to mixed forests: initial guidance from an experiment in Wykeham forest, North Yorkshire. Quarterly Journal of Forestry, 1-12.

Gabriel, K., Blair, I., and Mason, W.L. (2005). Growing broadleaved trees on the North York Moors: results after nearly 50 years. Quarterly Journal of Forestry, 99, 21-30.

Mason, W.L., Kerr, G., Pommerening, A., Edwards, C., Hale, S.E., Ireland, D., and Moore, R. (2005). Continuous Cover Forestry in British conifer forests. Forest Research Annual Report 2003-2004, 38-53.

Jones, H.E., McNamara, N., and Mason, W.L. (2005). Functioning of mixed-species stands: evidence from a long-term forest experiment. In: Ecological Studies 176. Forest Diversity and Function: Temperate and Boreal Systems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Pp 111-130.

Mason, W.L. (2004). Multiple-use silviculture in temperate plantation forestry. Encyclopedia of Forest Sciences, pp  859-864. Elsevier, Amsterdam.

Mason, W.L., Edwards, C., and Hale, S.E. (2004). Survival and early seedling growth of conifers with different shade tolerance in a Sitka spruce spacing trial and relationship to understorey light climate. Silva Fennica, 38, 357-370.

Mason, W.L., Hampson, A., and Edwards, C. (2004). Managing the Pinewoods of Scotland. Forestry Commission, Edinburgh, 234p.

Mason, W.L. and Humphrey, J.W. (2004). Silvicultural strategies for developing old growth structures in conifer plantations with reference to oceanic climates. Berichte Freiburger Forstliche Forschung 47, 30.

Mason, W.L. (2003). Continuous Cover Forestry: developing close-to-nature forest management in conifer plantations in upland Britain. Scottish Forestry, 57, 141-149.

Mason, W.L., Menzies, M.I., and Biggin, P. (2002). A comparison of hedging and repeated cutting cycles for propagating clones of Sitka spruce. Forestry, 75,  149-162.

Mason, W.L. (2002). Are irregular stands more windfirm? Forestry, 75, 347-355.