Rona M. Pitman, BSc, PhD

Forest Ecologist, Centre for Forestry and Climate Change

Rona followed her BSc (Geography with Geology) at Hull university with four years of study in the Sub-department of Quaternary studies, Botany School, Cambridge, resulting in a PhD thesis entitled ‘Pollen transport and deposition in Oakdale, North Yorkshire’.

A period abroad in the Far East was followed by a research post in the Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia, and an NERC post doctoral award to work on lowland Heath ecology with Kings College, London.

During the following ten years teaching Environmental Science at degree level at Sussex, and King Alfreds College, Winchester, she investigated the potential of using composted bracken as a peat substitute. This work, based in the New Forest, was completed with the support of Forest Research, and she transferred to a full time ecologists post at Forest Research in 1998.

Current role

Forest Ecologist, Centre for Forestry and Climate Change

• Responsibilities for woodland plant ecological surveys in the long term monitoring networks across southern Britain, and interpretation of data.
• Initiation of new research on woodland soils and forest age, effects of harvesting treatments on restoration sites, and potential use of wood ash to counteract soil acidification.
• Management of litterfall sampling from forest plots across British Isles.
• Ecological surveyor and data analyst based on Alice Holt Forest.

Current programmes

• Intensive long term monitoring of forest ecosystems
• Linking defoliation by Tortrix with tree growth and tree nutrient status 
• Environmental Change Network
• Soil sustainability
  • Brash treatment effects on lowland soils - organising scientist for soil analyses and natural regeneration recording
  • Wood ash use in forestry - organising scientist for new experimental applications to PAWS (plantations on ancient woodland sites) and SRC (short rotation coppice) sites.

Affiliations and achievements

• South Downs Conservation Board Heathland Forum: member
• British Ecological Society: member
• Institute of Chartered British Foresters Sylviculture Prize (2007) for paper on 'The Environmental effects of Wood ash use': in Forestry 79.

Research areas

• The use of wood ash in restoration following soil acidification under conifers
• The effect of brash and mulch on soil qualities and natural regeneration
• Ground flora and soil changes in broadleaf woodland
• Bracken growth and its use as a compost(horticulture) and as biomass fuel

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Peer reviewed recent publications

Vanguelova, E. and Pitman, R. (2011). Impacts of short rotation forestry and short rotation coppice on soil sustainability. In: Mackay, H (ed) Short Rotation Forestry: Review of the growth and environmental impacts.  Research Monograph 2. Forest Research Edinburgh, p 37-68. ISBN 978-0-85538-827-0.

Benham, S., Vanguelova, E., and Pitman, R.(2011). Short and long term changes in carbon, nitrogen and acidity in the mineral forest soils under oak at the Alice Holt Environmental Change Network site. In review with Science of the Total Environment.

Pitman, R. (2011). The effects of harvesting residues at a broadleaf restoration site in SE England: I.  Western hemlock residue decay and soil parameter changes. II.  Ground flora development and oak regeneration and growth.    Submitted to Forestry.

Pitman, R and Peace, A (2011). The effects of harvesting residues at a broadleaf restoration site in SE England.  III. Nutrient uptake by plant re-colonisation.  Submitted to Forestry.

Pitman, R., Vanguelova, E. and Benham, S. (2010). The effects of phytophagous insects on water and soil nutrient concentrations and fluxes through forest stands of the Level II monitoring network in the UK. Science of the Total Environment 409: 169-181.

Pitman, R., Bastrup-Birk, A.,Breda, N and Rautio, P. (2010). Manual on methods and criteria for harmonised sampling, assessment and monitoring of the effects of air pollution on forests. Part XIII-Sampling and Analysis of Litterfall. UNECE ICP Forests, Hamburg , 17pp.

Vanguelova, E., Pitman, R., Liuro, J. and Helmisaari, H-S. (2010). Long term effects of whole tree harvesting on soil carbon and nutrient sustainability in the UK. Biogeochemistry 101: 43-59.

Pitman, R. M. (2006). Wood ash use in forestry - a review of the environmental impacts. Forestry 79, 563-588.

Pitman, R.M and Vanguelova, E. (2006). The influence of soil properties and stand age on forest soil biodiversity. Forest Research Annual Report, Highlight.

Kennedy, F. and R. Pitman (2004). Factors affecting the nitrogen status of soils and ground flora in Beech woodlands . Forest Ecology and Management 198: 1-14.

Pitman, R and Webber, J. (1998).  Bracken as a peat alternative. Information Note , Forest Research Farnham.

Pitman R. (1995).  Bracken compost: a substitute for peat? In: (R.T. Smith and J.Taylor, eds) Bracken: an environmental issue pp 191-196, Leeds University.

Potter, D.M. and Pitman, R.M. (1995). The extraction and characterisation of carcinogens from Bracken and the effect of composting. In ( Smith, R.T. and Taylor, J.A. eds) Bracken: An Environmental Issue pp110-115,  Leeds University.

Contributions to reports for Forest Research, Forestry Commission and other Government Agencies

Hall, J., Emmett, B., Garbutt, A., Jones, L., Rowe, E,. Sheppard, L., Vanguelova, E., Pitman, R., Britton, A., Hester, A., Ashmore, M., Power, S. and Caporn. (2011). UK Status Report July 2011: Update to empirical critical loads of nitrogen. Report to Defra under contract AQ801 Critical Loads and Dynamic Modelling. NERC/Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, 57pp.

Vanguelova, E., Pitman, R. and Broadmeadow, S. (2011) An assessment of how climate change may affect critical loads for woodland. WP7, Task 7.2 in Emmett,B. (ed). Final Report to Defra.

Pitman, R., Vanguelova, E. and Benham, S. (2011) Report on pilot study of Continuous Cover Forestry effects on soil properties and ground vegetation at Clocaenog, N. Wales. FR Edinburgh 18 pp.

Vanguelova, E., Pitman, R., Benham, S. and Perks, M. (2011). Impact of destumping forest management on soil carbon and nutrients and second rotation Sitka spruce growth at Bala destumping site in Wales. Forest Research Report, 20 pages.

Vanguelova, E.I. and Pitman, R. (2010). Impacts of Short Rotation Forestry on soil sustainability – a Review. Report in DEFRA’s Review of “Environmental Impacts of Short Rotation Forestry”. Forest Research report, March 2010.

Vanguelova, E., Pitman, R. and Broadmeadow S. (2010). Terrestrial Umbrella: Eutrophication and Acidification of Terrestrial Ecosystems. Final report of the Forest Research sub-contract to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, February, 2010.

Vanguelova, E.I., Pitman, R., Benham, S., Hendry, S. and Kennedy, F. (2008). The effects of N and S deposition on tree nutrition and ground vegetation. Presentation at the RoTAP meeting, DEFRA, London, 23 October, 2008.

Pitman, R. (2005).  Interim Report on the effects of harvesting residues on natural regeneration at the PAWS site, Tugley, Chiddingfold.

Pitman, R. (2004). The soils of Upper Friston Forest, East Sussex. Internal Report for Forest Enterprise, SE District.

Pitman R.and Broadmeadow, M. (2001).  Leaf area, biomass and physiological parameterisation of ground vegetation of lowland oak woodland. Internal Report to PPD, Forestry Commission Edinburgh.

Broadmeadow, M.S.J., Pitman, R.M., Jackson, S.B., Randle, T.J. and Durrant, D.W.H. (2000). Upgrading the level II protocol for physiological modelling of cause-effect relationships: A pilot study. Final report for EC project No. 98.60.UK.003.0. Forestry Commission, UK.

Conference presentations and posters

Vanguelova, E, Pitman, R., Benham, S., Wilkinson, M., Komarov, A., Khoraskina, Y. and Bykhovets, S. (2011). Long term changes in soil carbon at Alice Holt forest modelled by ROMUL (forest soil organic matter process model). Poster presentation at COST 0803 meeting “Carbon balance after disturbances and drought”, 27 June -1 July, 2011, Barcelona, Spain.

Vanguelova, E., Pitman, R., Benham, S. and Perks, M. (2011). Impacts of stump harvesting on soil carbon, soil nutrients and tree growth in the UK. Tree stumps for Bioenergy, Uppsala, Sweden.  

Vanguelova, E. and Pitman, R. (2011). Impacts of N inputs on forests and forest soil biogeochemistry in Great Britain. Paper in proceedings of “Nitrogen & Global Change – Key findings – future challenges”, April 11-15, 2011, Nitro-Europe Conference Edinburgh UK.

Benham,S., Pitman, R., Moffat, A. and Vanguelova, E. (2009). Long term monitoring by Forest Research: implementation, findings and opportunities.BES symposium on Forest Monitoring, Cambridge. 

Vanguelova, E.I. and Pitman, R. (2009). Impact of N deposition on soil and tree biochemistry in both broadleaved and coniferous stands in the UK. In "6th International Symposium on Ecosystem Behaviour BIOGEOMON 2009", Liisa Ukonmaanoho, Tiina M. Nieminen and Mike Starr (eds.), ISSN 1795-150X, pp.184.

Vanguelova, E.I., Pitman, R., Luiro J. and Helmisaari H-S. (2009). Long term effects of whole tree harvesting on soil nutrient sustainability in the UK. In "6th International Symposium on Ecosystem Behaviour BIOGEOMON 2009", Liisa Ukonmaanoho, Tiina M. Nieminen and Mike Starr (eds.), ISSN 1795-150X, pp.481.

Pitman, R. (2009). The effects of harvesting residues on natural regeneration, nutrient availability and uptake in a broadleaf restoration site in S. UK. Poster presentation at BioGeoMon, Helsinki.

Vanguelova, E., Pitman, R. and Nisbet,T. (2009). Impacts of energy forestry on soil sustainability in the UK - research and development of best practice guidelines. Bioenergy and soils: Germany.

Pitman, R., Vanguelova, E and Benham, S. (2008). Effects of phytophagous insects on nutrient fluxes in forest stands. BES Annual Conference, London. 

Pitman, R. (2008). Wood ash – a waste product or useful resource?  SEESOIL Annual meeting, NSRI, Cranfield University, December, 2008.

Pitman, R. Vanguelova, E.I., and Benham, S. (2008). What has forest monitoring shown and how can be adapted for future drivers? COST Strategic Workshop: Forest Ecosystems in a Changing Environment: Identifying Future Monitoring and Research Needs 11-13 March, 2008, Istanbul, Turkey.

Vanguelova, E.I., Benham, S. and Pitman, R. (2007). Changes in rainfall, throughfall and soil solution chemistry in the Level II long term forest monitoring plots. ICP seminar on Forest Focus monitoring in the northern countries. Finland, 27-28 November, 2007.

Pitman R., Vanguelova, E.I. and Benham, S. (2008). Effects of phytophagous insects on the nutrient fluxes through forest stands in the UK Level II network. Poster presentation at the COST Strategic Workshop: Forest Ecosystems in a Changing Environment: Identifying Future Monitoring and Research Needs 11-13 March, 2008, Istanbul, Turkey.

Pitman, R., Walmesley, J., Healey, J.  and Jones, D. (2006) Recycling of woodash to forests: applications to PAWS sites. Poster presentation at Bangor Conference on woodland restoration. 

Pitman, R., Barsoum, N., Wilkinson, M. and Vanguelova, E. (2005). Environmental Factors at the Oak Woodlands in the EU Long-term (Level II) monitoring programme.  Poster presentation at BES Atlantic woodlands conference, 2005, Oban.