THE QUIET REVOLUTION IN BRITAIN'S FORESTS

As plantation forests planted over the past 40 years reach maturity and are harvested for their timber, the opportunity is being taken to develop a new generation of more attractive, multi-purpose forests in their place for the 21st century, the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) heard.

The conference theme is the "Transformation of Plantation Forests", and British foresters are keen to learn from the experience of their overseas colleagues with techniques like "continuous cover forestry", Forestry Commission Director-General David Bills told delegates in his opening speech.

Under continuous cover forestry, only some trees are taken out of a harvesting area, leaving the area still covered with forest. This can avoid the temporary landscape scars created by the clear-felling harvesting technique that currently predominates in British forestry, where all the trees in a harvesting area are felled at once. Under continuous cover forestry, the forest landscape changes more gradually and naturally, with greater benefits for wildlife.

"The challenge for Britain's forest managers is not whether to diversify our forests through the use of alternatives to clear-felling, but how to do it and where to concentrate our efforts," Mr Bills said, citing trials with continuous cover forestry in places such as Glentress, near Peebles in the Scottish Borders. "Continuous cover forestry is one of several low-intensity techniques that we can use, and we need to find out where we can use it, and that's where the experience of these other countries can be very useful to us.

"British foresters will be particularly interested to learn from colleagues experienced in managing, in their natural habitats, species that are widely grown in Britain, such as Sitka spruce, which is a native of North America."

He pointed out, however, that continuous cover forestry is not appropriate in all areas, especially those where the trees are prone to windblow.

He also defended Britain's record of single-species forest planting during the 20th century: "When the Forestry Commission was founded in 1919, Britain's forests were in a diminished and degraded state, comprising only 5 per cent of the land area.

"There was an urgent need to afforest areas quickly, with the emphasis on growing timber, and single-species plantations are the best way to get a new forest started on bare land. Many of those first-generation forests are now reaching maturity and being harvested, and as part of the natural cycle of growth and regrowth, harvesting and regeneration, we now have the opportunity to introduce more structural and species diversity, using techniques like continuous cover forestry, where site conditions allow, to soften the impact on the landscape."

Mr Bills explained that in response to growing public interest in forests and woodlands, Britain is also developing its plantation forests to provide not only timber, but also wildlife habitats and opportunities for the public to enjoy outdoor activities like walking, camping, picnicking, cycling, horse riding, bird watching and sports.

Wild plants and animals and valuable wildlife sites - many of which occur in non-native conifer plantations - are being actively protected and improved. He cited examples such as the rare woodlarks that thrive in Norfolk's Thetford Chase, the goshawks that have found ideal homes in conifer plantations, and the rare flowers and spectacular lichens of Culbin Forest, a man-made conifer forest planted on sand dunes near Inverness.

The results of these changes will be forests that not only continue to provide timber, but also look and function more like natural forests. They will look more attractive, being designed to fit into the landscape with more natural shapes and designs, with a greater range of species and trees of different ages, and open spaces as well. Age diversity will be achieved by harvesting and replanting some areas earlier than originally intended, and leaving other areas under continuous cover, with benefits for the landscape and wildlife in particular.

There are about 100 delegates from 15 countries in Europe, Africa and the Americas at the conference, organised by the Forestry Commission and held at Heriot-Watt University. Speakers include delegates from Switzerland, the USA, Germany and Finland as well as the United Kingdom. The conference is supported by UPM-Kymmene, Tilhill Economic Forestry, the Timber Growers' Association, and the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

• Great Britain has about 2.44 million hectares (6.02 million acres) of forests and woodlands, representing about 11 per cent of the land area. Country breakdowns are:

Wales 247,000ha (610,000 acres), 12% woodland cover.

• About 834,000ha (2.059 million acres), or 35 per cent, of Britain's forests and woodlands are owned on behalf of the nation by the Forestry Commission and managed by Forest Enterprise.
• Britain supplies about 15% of its wood products requirements from its own forests, and spends about £6 billion a year on the 85% that are imported.
• The Forestry Commission is the government department for forestry in Great Britain.
• For further information, contact Charlton Clark, 0131 314 6507.