In recent years, there have been increasing calls to plant more trees as part of the global effort to combat climate change. Restoration and expansion of temperate rainforests, which are a globally rare ecosystem, is seen as one of the potential solutions. But with our previous work also predicting an increase in future rainfall we wanted to know if the woodlands we create will support naturally colonising trees in future. Our results show that higher water levels within soils directly contribute to reduced survival of both acorns and young oak trees. We believe it provides landowners, land managers and policy makers with important information as to which species might work in particular locations to support more resilient future rainforests.
Dr Thomas Murphy
Lecturer in Environmental Sciences
There has been extensive talk about how larger trees respond to the effects of climate change. But these results show we need to factor in the response of young trees as well, especially if they are being envisioned as an integral part of the solution. By examining their response to conditions now, while also thinking about what these locations are going to be like in 50 years’ time, we can better understand the right trees for the right locations, and hopefully make these woodlands more resilient in the long-term.
- The full study – Murphy et al: Soil saturation limits early oak establishment in upland pastures for restoration of Atlantic oak woodlands – is published in Forest Ecology and Management, DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121895.