Challenges associated with climate change
Contact with trees and forests can affect how people make sense of their environment, and this can influence how people think and act. For example, regular walks in a nearby woodland may draw attention to signs of environmental change and also highlight the need for action to help better look after the environment and its associated goods and services for society. We need to understand human-nature relationships if our policy responses to climate change are to make a difference.
Change at the individual level is not adequate without institutional change. We need to understand how forestry, and land-use planning and management more generally, can become more adaptive and provide opportunities for learning and innovation.
The coalition government has announced a substantial tree planting programme. Social science helps to inform the design of grants and other incentives for tree planting, and to increase public benefits by involving different social groups, including marginalised and difficult to reach individuals and groups in both rural and urban areas.
About our research
Research being undertaken by Forest Research’s Social and Economic Research Group (SERG) shows how changes in the values, attitudes and actions of both individuals and organisations can enhance the contribution of trees and forests to addressing the climate change challenge.
Other scientists within Forest Research are also working on related climate change issues, such as climate change impacts, adaptation of the resource base, and climate change risk assessment.
Climate change is a topic that cuts across several strands of social and economic research. Below are links to all of our work that is focused on climate change or has a climate change component.
Studies on social and governance aspects of climate change
- Adaptive management in the face of climate change: EU project MOTIVE
- Forestry profession and change in silviculture practice (low impact silvicultural systems)
- Knowledge and communication for adaptive forest management in the context of climate change
- Landowners' attitude to woodland creation and management in the UK: a review of current evidence
- Partnership working: Third sector, local government and agency engagement with the Forestry Commission
- Stakeholder perceptions of short-rotation forestry for energy: literature review
- Wood you believe it? Children and young people's perceptions of climate change
Studies on economic aspects of climate change
- Climate change adaptation: carbon, timber and wind hazard - a rotation length optimisation model
- Climate change mitigation: comparative analysis of silvicultural options and review of approaches to developing Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACCs)
- Economic analysis of climate change mitigation and agroforestry ammonia abatement options
- National Ecosystem Assessment - valuation of changes in carbon sequestration by UK woodlands
- Potential market opportunities associated with carbon sequestration in European forests: EU Cost Action E51
- Review of approaches to carbon additionality
- Review of approaches to carbon valuation, discounting and risk management
Studies with a climate change component or relevant to climate change studies
- Accessing and communicating animal disease risk for countryside users
- Community forestry: analysis of emerging models in Great Britain
- Contribution of trees, woods and forests to quality of life: communities, place-making and regeneration
- Economic integration of urban consumers demand and rural forestry production
- Forests, trees and human health and well-being: EU Cost Action E39
- Payments for ecosystem services
- Public forest estate: social study
- Street tree valuation systems
- Street trees - governance and social values
- Valuation of the economic and social contribution of forestry for people in Scotland
- Woodfuel research
- Woodfuel supply chain scoping study
- Wood products from sustainably managed woodlands: Review of consumer awareness and best marketing practice (PDF-521K)
Contact
For further information please contact:
Anna Lawrence
Social and Economic Research Group
Centre for Human and Ecological Sciences
Forest Research
Northern Research Station
Roslin
Midlothian EH25 9SY
