Information note - No. 59 

The Forestry Research Co-ordination Committee met on 9 April 2002 in Edinburgh.

FRCC Publications

The proceedings of the FRCC sponsored Conference of June 2001 ‘Trees are Company; Social Sciences Research into Woodlands and the Natural Environment’ were published in April 2002 and are available from FC Publications – tel: 0870 121 4180  e-mail: forestry@twoten.press.net.

UK Expertise in forestry and woodland research

Analysis of the last ten years of the FRCC annual collation of UK forestry research does not support a loss of expertise, although there has been a shift of emphasis in both research and teaching away from the traditional sector-based approach. Responsive mode research which includes forestry research as a component of broader environmental and social science proposals is not showing any decline in quality or number of proposals. Effective research and extension work now commonly requires multi-disciplinary teams in order to cover the necessary range of skills. DFID are concerned that the loss of core skills, like inventory, monitoring and yield regulation, could limit the UK capability to operate effectively in tropical areas. The Committee discussed the lack of traditional forestry courses and the dilution of research into the broader land management, global change and environment agendas. Forestry requires a wide range of skills and degree-level courses should reflect this with standards of forestry skills also maintained.

Biodiversity Research

The Committee considered the progress and aims of the DEFRA-led Biodiversity Research Working Group (BRWG), as described in the publication ‘Science in action for Biodiversity’ (DEFRA 2001). The BRWG was established to identify and prioritise the cross-cutting research needs to support the Government commitments under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. The group has analysed the outputs of five technical workshops and developed six cross-cutting research programmes as follows:-

• Science for the conservation of genetic and native species diversity.

• Addressing the impacts of introduced species.

• Understanding the roles of biodiversity in ecosystem function.

• Science-based monitoring of biodiversity and evaluation of actions.

• Science-based management of habitats and ecosystems.

• Developing tools to optimise policies to favour biodiversity

In order to deliver the objectives of the UK BAP it will be necessary for all relevant sectors of the research community to actively pursue these programmes. Two main activities are required to achieve co-ordination; information exchange and the promotion of the research agenda among research funders and the scientific community. The report recommends that a UK biodiversity research group should continue to act as a forum for co-ordination, promotion and dissemination of research in support of the delivery of the UK BAP and to promote synergies with the European Platform on Biodiversity Research. The European Platform on Biodiversity Research has provided research priorities for the new EU Framework Programme 6.

Forestry Devolution Review

The ongoing review of the best administrative arrangements to deliver forestry policy internationally and domestically was described. Research issues and the recent Stage 1 report of the quinquennial review of Forest Research were discussed in particular. There was general acknowledgement that forestry research is best organised on a UK-wide basis, as for biodiversity research (see above). Forestry and rural-development strategies may differ regionally and on a country basis, and forestry is now much more integrated with other rural and environmental issues.

Annual Collation of Forest Research

The results of the 2001 collation are summarised in FRCC Information Note 58 and the full collation is now available from the FRCC secretariat and will be on the website shortly. Details of research projects currently underway (2002/03) have been requested from the principal funders of forestry and tree-related research for the 02/03 collation. A ‘near complete’ collation will be presented to the Committee in November 2002 with a view to release in early 2003.

The next FRCC meeting will be on 7 November 2002 in London.