Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · 6d

Another LERN (Large-scale Ecosystem Recovery Network) field site in the bag 💼 @forestresearchuk.bsky.social

Next task is to put in the plots for interventions & controls. Most importantly these are co-developed & agreed with land managers 🌳🌳

3

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · 13d

Interested in working with us on LERN???

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · 13d

LERN is a network of long-term, large-scale manipulative experiments to explore woodland creation, nature recovery & ecosystem restoration 🌳🦋🌸🦅🪲

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · 13d

LERN is a network of long-term, large-scale manipulative experiments to explore woodland creation, nature recovery & ecosystem restoration 🌳🦋🌸🦅🪲

2

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · 13d

Productive day out hunting for new experimental research sites for the LERN (Large-scale Ecosystem Recovery Network) @forestresearchuk.bsky.social

1 2

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · Jun 25

A new pre-print outlining 15 case-studies of natural colonisation of woodland over multiple decades in uplands & lowlands in England & Scotland: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

Creating woodland through natural processes: Current understanding and knowledge gaps in Great Britain

ecoevorxiv.org

7 12

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 18

Interested in creating new woodlands 🌳with 'natural processes'? read on 👇

www.forestresearch.gov.uk/news/new-res...

New research investigates role of natural processes to create woodland - Forest Research

New research reviewing natural processes as a method for woodland creation has been published by Forest Research.

www.forestresearch.gov.uk

3

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Julia Koricheva @juliakoricheva.bsky.social · Jun 17

Great to see research briefing from our @uktreescapes.bsky.social TreEPlaNat project on using natural processes for woodland creation published by @forestresearchuk.bsky.social
Research briefing: www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications...
News: www.forestresearch.gov.uk/news/new-res...

9 12

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Heather Gilbert @hjgilbert.bsky.social · Jun 17

Ever caught yourself wondering whether natural processes or tree planting are better for woodland creation?

You're not alone!

Check out this research to find out why hybrid approaches that combine the two might be the answer 🌳

Forest Research @forestresearchuk.bsky.social · Jun 17

🌱 Why do some land managers choose natural processes for tree expansion—and others don’t?

This work aims to inform policy and practice when looking at natural processes as a method for woodland creation. 🌳

🔗 Find out more: ow.ly/bpPX50Wa00v

New research investigates role of natural processes to create woodland - Forest Research

New research reviewing natural processes as a method for woodland creation has been published by Forest Research.

ow.ly

2 7

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 17

Contrary to the perceived dichotomy, most land managers value both 'tree planting' and 'natural processes' to increase tree cover 🌳🌳 - read more 👇

Forest Research @forestresearchuk.bsky.social · Jun 17

🌱 Why do some land managers choose natural processes for tree expansion—and others don’t?

This work aims to inform policy and practice when looking at natural processes as a method for woodland creation. 🌳

🔗 Find out more: ow.ly/bpPX50Wa00v

New research investigates role of natural processes to create woodland - Forest Research

New research reviewing natural processes as a method for woodland creation has been published by Forest Research.

ow.ly

5

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 17

Contrary to the perceived dichotomy, most land managers value both 'tree planting' and 'natural processes' to increase tree cover 🌳🌳

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

1 2

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 13

🌳🌳Tree planting, natural colonisation, hybrid approaches: Land manager decisions explored @forestresearchuk.bsky.social besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Tree planting, natural colonisation, hybrid approaches: Land manager decisions explored

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

4 4

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 12

Excited to see our recent paper on ‘Spillovers and legacies of land management on temperate woodland biodiversity’ on the front cover of @natecoevo.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

3 12

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 9

Interested in Temperate Rainforests Globally 🌧️🌳- come to this webinar www.plymouth.ac.uk/whats-on/thi...

Think globally, act locally: Temperate rainforest – how do we best research and conserve a globally distributed habitat?

What's on at the University of Plymouth: Think globally, act locally: Temperate Rainforest, how do we best research and conserve a globally distributed...

www.plymouth.ac.uk

5 9

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 6

It would be great if we could try & embed some ‘large-scale, long-term’ experiments within these ambitious Strategic Nature Networks to provide much need evidence to support adaptive management for the future

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · Jun 6

Rebuilding Nature launched today and aims to create a UK Strategic Nature Network by 2030. The group includes National Highways, Network Rail and more.

Its key focus is re-connecting fragmented landscapes to allow the free movement of plants & wildlife and provide resilience against climate change.

Strategic Nature Network

Rebuilding Nature has the vision to create a Strategic Nature Network by restoring dynamic ecosystems that protect society, delivering 30|30|30

rebuildingnature.com

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 6

New paper out with PhD @naturefromsam.bsky.social and the @wrenproject.bsky.social 🌳🚜🪲team @forestresearchuk.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Agricultural landscapes impede woodland ground-dwelling beetle colonisation and establishment in planted woodlands

Global insect declines have been partly attributed to habitat loss and agricultural intensification. Large-scale habitat restoration is crucial to add…

www.sciencedirect.com

1 7

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 5

Thanks @jmbecologist.bsky.social 🌳👍we have some field-based papers on the way looking at tree species composition, biomass & biodiversity across a chronosequence of planted & naturally colonised sites - watch this space 👀

1

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Jun 4

One of our LERN (Large-scale Ecosystem Recovery Network) experiments 🌳- now visible from space 🛰️#EcologicalRestoration @forestresearchuk.bsky.social

5

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Nature Ecology & Evolution @natecoevo.nature.com · Apr 25

Data on beetle, bird, plant and mammal occupancy of woodland sites in UK agricultural landscapes demonstrate how contemporary spatial spillovers and legacies of past land use interact to affect species richness and community composition www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Spillovers and legacies of land management on temperate woodland biodiversity - Nature Ecology & Evolution

Data on beetle, bird, plant and mammal occupancy of woodland sites in UK agricultural landscapes demonstrate how contemporary spatial spillovers and legacies of past land use interact to affect specie...

www.nature.com

8 16

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Forest Research @forestresearchuk.bsky.social · Apr 24

Modelling in partnership with Stirling Uni, Uni of Glasgow & RSPB Science suggests that planting next to existing woodland is likely to be much more effective in boosting woodland bird populations than planting in isolated patches or small clumps.

More ➡️ www.forestresearch.gov.uk/news/145043-...

Can the spatial targeting of woodland creation boost bird populations? - Forest Research

www.forestresearch.gov.uk

6 17

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Kirsty Park @kirstyjpark.bsky.social · Apr 23

🌳 Nature remembers. 🌿
Happy to share our new paper showing that where species live today isn't just about where habitats are - it's also about what happened there before. 🕰️ rdcu.be/eiVZE @watts-km.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk @tfinch.bsky.social @forestresearchuk.bsky.social

Spillovers and legacies of land management on temperate woodland biodiversity

Nature Ecology & Evolution - Data on beetle, bird, plant and mammal occupancy of woodland sites in UK agricultural landscapes demonstrate how contemporary spatial spillovers and legacies of...

rdcu.be

2 7 14

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Kirsty Park @kirstyjpark.bsky.social · Apr 23

Key takeaway? The past shapes the present, and smart conservation must consider both spatial spillovers and temporal legacies to succeed. 🐦🐞🌱🐁
#Biodiversity #Ecology #ConservationScience #Woodlands #NatureLegacy #HabitatManagement

1 1 4

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Kirsty Park @kirstyjpark.bsky.social · Apr 23

By studying 373 species across 134 UK woodlands (from 10 to 250+ years old), we found that both historical land use and neighboring habitats shape biodiversity. And it’s not just one or the other—their interaction matters most.

1 1 1

Reposted by Kevin Watts

WrEN project @wrenproject.bsky.social · Apr 1

Latest paper showing that woodland birds benefit from targeted woodland creation link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Combining occupancy and dispersal models to predict the conservation benefits of land-use change - Landscape Ecology

Context Economic incentives for habitat creation in productive agricultural land are an important tool for halting biodiversity loss. Given inevitable funding constraints, assessing the cost-effective...

link.springer.com

1 3

Reposted by Kevin Watts

Ross Barnett @ecologybarnett.bsky.social · Mar 3

I've started an ecoacoustics starter pack! Very aware that there are many more people in the field than are currently on this list, so please reach out if you'd like to be added/have colleagues who should be! 🐦🐸🎙️

go.bsky.app/NekQiFj

1 6 8

Kevin Watts @watts-km.bsky.social · Mar 11

How management and creation of woodland can benefit biodiversity 🌳🌼🦅🐛
www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications...

The management and creation of woodland for biodiversity and wider environmental benefits - Forest Research

Woodland creation and management deliver a wide range of environmental benefits. The extent of those benefits is determined by a range of factors, including the type of woodland, the way it is managed...

www.forestresearch.gov.uk

2 3