Incorporating research data
Methuselah recognises the opportunities in land regeneration to advance technical know-how, best practice and to learn lessons. The goal should be to optimise the regeneration process and to improve the quality of greenspaces. Methuselah advocates incorporation of data arising through research and development into greenspace evaluation.
The opportunities for monitoring and evaluation of greenspace and how these interlink.
Shows the inter-relationship between the distinct monitoring opportunities that exist at a greenspace following establishment. Research and development support greenspace design, improvement of land regeneration best practice and evaluation of the wider impacts of greenspaces.
Examples of research and development in land regeneration
Engineering Doctorate training programme
An example is the 4-year Engineering Doctorate training programme project entitled: “Brownfield Reclamation to Greenspace: Process and Techniques”, funded by Forestry Commission England and Forest Research. Undertaken by Gail Atkinson, the project is a collaboration between Forest Research and the Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey and seeks to investigate and amalgamate technical decision making with social considerations in land regeneration and urban greening to improve understanding and sustainable outcomes.
Jeskyns community greenspace
An opportunity to incorporate research and the development of best practice into a greenspace project has recently been taken at Jeskyns, a new 146 ha community greenspace in Kent, created and managed by the Forestry Commission.
Managing vegetation that competes with and threatens the growth of young trees is a major challenge when establishing trees on fertile former agricultural land. Forest Research has recently begun an experiment looking at a range of biodegradable mulch materials for vegetation management. Materials being studied include:
- Photo-degradable and bio-degradable plastics
- Wood-fibre composites
- Reusable materials.
The research is being funded by the Forestry Commission, through their award from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
For more information on this project, see the article 'Research at Jeskyns' in the February 2007 issue (PDF-757K) of Forest Research’s newsletter, FR Eye, or contact:
Ian Willoughby
Forest Research
Alice Holt Lodge
Farnham
Surrey GU10 4LH
Tel: +44(0)1420 526226
Fax: +44(0)1420 520558
E-mail: ian.willoughby@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
