Public Forest Estate: social study

Summary

Ten discussion groups were held to find out what people value about and expect from the Forestry Commission Public Forest Estate.
Photo: C. Carter.

Seasonal attractions in open and mixed woodland were often mentioned as important, such as the ‘sea of bluebells’ in late spring.

The Forestry Commission England (FCE) manages about 258,000ha of land (which is 18% of the woodlands and forests in England) through which it delivers many benefits, including improvements to the quality of people’s lives. This research was commissioned to understand people’s perceptions and expectations of the Forestry Commission (FC) Public Forest Estate (PFE) in England, and to compare these with those of woods and forests in other forms of ownership. We reviewed existing social research and datasets as well as collected and analysed new data from a specially commissioned public survey (the ‘PFE survey’) and ten group discussions.

This work formed part of the evidence base for a study of the long-term role of the PFE by FCE undertaken in 2009 (see www.forestry.gov.uk/england-estatestudy).

Research objectives

To provide a better understanding of how people perceive and value the PFE in England, the research focused on answering the following questions:

• How much are people aware of who owns and manages the woodlands that they visit / like / where they live?
• What do people value and expect from woodlands in different kinds of ownership?
• How do these values and expectation vary between different social groups and affect use of woodlands and forests?

Research approach

The approach to answering three questions above includes two strands of information:

• Identify and analyse existing data (phase 1); and
• Collect and analyse new data to fill gaps in existing knowledge (phase 2).

Work during phase 1 focused on:

• Reviewing existing research on the supply and uptake of amenities and services in FC and non-FC managed woodlands
• Identifying existing (FC and other) databases and surveys with information on the provisions, use and expectations of forests and woodlands, distinguishing wherever possible between PFE and other forests and woodlands.

Phase 2 gathered new data using two complementary approaches:

• A statistically representative survey of the adult population of England
• 10 discussion groups covering a range of diversity groups and interests (located in South-East England and Midlands).

The survey and discussion groups were structured around the following themes:

• Use of woodlands and benefits derived from them
• Knowledge, perceived significance and impact of ownership
• Expectations of and priorities for the future provision and management of PFE/other woodlands.

Both survey data and discussion group results represent public opinion, perception and experience. The qualitative discussion group data adds details and explanations to help understand patterns in the survey data and the underlying thinking and values that influence public opinions.

Key findings

Reports

The Forestry Commission Public Forest Estate in England: social use, value and expectations ^(PDF-2645K)
Final Report, October 2009

The Forestry Commission Public Forest Estate in England: social use, value and expectations ^(PDF-206K)
Summary Report, September 2009, revised December 2009

Social benefits from the Forestry Commission Public Forest Estate in England: review of current evidence ^(PDF-933K)
Interim Report, July 2009, updated December 2009

About half of the English population visits woodlands. Many express a strong emotional connection with trees and woodlands, and associate a wide range of benefits with them. More specific findings of the survey and discussion groups are summarised below.

Benefits and expectations of woodlands under different ownership

• Although only one third of respondents claimed to know who owned the woods that they visit, and about one tenth felt that it was important, most have clear and strong views about how public money should be spent and what benefits publicly owned and managed forests should provide.
• All categories of values associated with woodlands are associated more strongly with publicly owned than private ones. Recreation, access and facilities (e.g. well-maintained paths, car parking, cafes) were most frequently reported as important.
• Public expectations for future benefits from the PFE were higher than for comparable benefits from other woodland. For all woodland types PFE survey participants prioritised wildlife habitat provision followed by recreation, landscape conservation, climate change mitigation and education.
• Many discussion group participants felt that the PFE was run cost-effectively; some were surprised how little public resource was actually used.

Use and expectations by different public and social groups

• Those who reported using the PFE are more likely to be older, male, married, white, have children, be in full-time employment and live in rural areas, than those who reported using other woods, or did not know the ownership of the woods they used.
• Women were more likely than men to give particular reasons for visiting a woodland, more likely to expect community involvement on private woodlands, and to choose woodlands for reasons of safety and child friendliness.
• Disabled people had a slight preference for dog-walking as a reason to visit woodlands, were more likely to appreciate woodlands for the scenery, variety of trees, fresh air and their wider societal benefits than others, and less likely to cite physical activities as a value.
• Those working with disabled people would like to see better locally available communication and information about access (suitable paths and facilities).
• People who described themselves as belonging to black or ethnic minority groups were less likely to value public woodlands for walking and wildlife, and more likely to value them for climate change and tourism than ethnically white people. Having information accessible/available about access rights, facilities and activities were raised as encouraging use of woodlands.
• Older people are more likely than others to value woods for wildlife; and younger and middle-aged people more likely to value woods for activities.
• Those on lower incomes are more likely to value woods as a place to get away, or take the children; while those on higher incomes are more likely to values woods for their contribution to the landscape. There appears to be a trend for more people in lower income brackets to expect more from the PFE.

Conclusions and recommendations

Based on the above findings the following conclusions / recommendations can be made:

• The PFE is seen to provide a diverse resource cost-effectively, invest in a wide range of public facilities and provisions, and maintain larger sites than under private ownership. This is perceived as necessary to accommodate multiple demands and needs.
• There is generally strong support for public ownership to guarantee access for the public and sustainable woodland management in the future.
• Public expectations for future management priorities for the PFE centre around habitat/landscape conservation, wider environmental and climate benefits, education, and recreation.
• There appears to be strong support for maintaining or increasing the current extent and composition of public woodland ownership.

Funders

This project was commissioned and funded by Forestry Commission England.

Contact

Liz O'Brien
Forest Research
Alice Holt Lodge
Farnham
Surrey
GU10 4LH

Email: liz.obrien@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: 01420 22255
Fax: 01420 23653