‘Alarming’ new research warns of risk to British woodlands from disease, extreme weather and wildfires, unless ‘call to action’ is heeded now
This is the best summary I could come up with:
UK forests are heading for “catastrophic ecosystem collapse” within the next 50 years due to multiple threats including disease, extreme weather and wildfires, researchers have warned, with trees dying on a large scale.
Lead author, Dr Eleanor Tew, head of forest planning at Forestry England and visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge, described the finding as “sobering and alarming”.
The long-term impacts of forest ecosystem collapse would include loss of timber, carbon sequestration, poorer air quality, water retention and human enjoyment.
All this is often made worse by management strategies that create forests full of the same species and age of tree, making them more vulnerable.
Dr Elena Cantarello from Bournemouth University, who was not involved in the study, said her own recent research in south-west England “comes to similar conclusions”.
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tillimarleen@feddit.de 7 months ago
Ah thank god it‘s only in the UK. After Brexit this doesn‘t effect us Europeans anymore!