The benefits of mountain woodland restoration

Watts, Sarah H.; Jump, Alistair S.

doi:10.1111/rec.13701

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Our findings suggest that, when an alpine treeline ecotone is limited by both frost and high solar radiation (photoinhibition), yet seedlings manage to establish in areas of prolonged shade during late autumn, then this can inform the optimal timing for studies focusing on these recruitment bottlenecks. From a practical perspective, this information can also be helpful in certain areas for the restoration of treeline woodlands or high-elevation protection forests, which have undergone severe shrinkage and degradation in recent decades [70].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking High-Resolution UAV-Based Remote Sensing Data to Long-Term Vegetation Sampling—A Novel Workflow to Study Slow Ecotone Dynamics

Döweler,

Fransson,

Bader

2024

Remote Sensing

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Unravelling slow ecosystem migration patterns requires a fundamental understanding of the broad-scale climatic drivers, which are further modulated by fine-scale heterogeneities just outside established ecosystem boundaries. While modern Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (UAV) remote sensing approaches enable us to monitor local scale ecotone dynamics in unprecedented detail, they are often underutilised as a temporal snapshot of the conditions on site. In this study in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, we demonstrate how the combination of multispectral and thermal data, as well as LiDAR data (2019), supplemented by three decades (1991–2021) of treeline transect data can add great value to field monitoring campaigns by putting seedling regeneration patterns at treeline into a spatially explicit context. Orthorectification and mosaicking of RGB and multispectral imagery produced spatially extensive maps of the subalpine area (~4 ha) with low spatial offset (Craigieburn: 6.14 ± 4.03 cm; Mt Faust: 5.11 ± 2.88 cm, mean ± standard error). The seven multispectral bands enabled a highly detailed delineation of six ground cover classes at treeline. Subalpine shrubs were detected with high accuracy (up to 90%), and a clear identification of the closed forest canopy (Fuscospora cliffortioides, >95%) was achieved. Two thermal imaging flights revealed the effect of existing vegetation classes on ground-level thermal conditions. UAV LiDAR data acquisition at the Craigieburn site allowed us to model vegetation height profiles for ~6000 previously classified objects and calculate annual fine-scale variation in the local solar radiation budget (20 cm resolution). At the heart of the proposed framework, an easy-to-use extrapolation procedure was used for the vegetation monitoring datasets with minimal georeferencing effort. The proposed method can satisfy the rapidly increasing demand for high spatiotemporal resolution mapping and shed further light on current treeline recruitment bottlenecks. This low-budget framework can readily be expanded to other ecotones, allowing us to gain further insights into slow ecotone dynamics in a drastically changing climate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking High-Resolution UAV-Based Remote Sensing Data to Long-Term Vegetation Sampling—A Novel Workflow to Study Slow Ecotone Dynamics

Döweler,

Fransson,

Bader

2024

Remote Sensing

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“…The new records highlight that trees and shrubs can colonise even at extremely high altitudes, demonstrating wider potential for woodland and scrub species in Britain's mountain areas than is perhaps generally perceived after centuries of habitat loss and degradation. These observations are creating a useful mechanism for media engagement with biological recording, and generating wider public interest in the restoration of habitats at the altitudinal treeline and the benefits they can provide to people and wildlife (BBC News, 2022;Watts & Jump, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent decades there has been burgeoning interest and action in reinstating mountain woodland habitats in Britain, through planting schemes for scarce and ecologically important species, and by encouraging natural colonisation (Gilbert & Di Cosmo, 2003;Mardon, 2003;Rao, 2020;Mardon & Cole, 2022;Watts & Jump, 2022). Mapping relict populations and incidents of regeneration is useful for locating propagation sources for restoration projects and examining the range of environmental conditions suitable for tree establishment (Montane Scrub Action Group, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High mountain trees: altitudinal records recently broken for eleven different tree species in Britain

Watts¹

2023

BIB

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In 2022 a project was initiated utilising citizen science to document observations of trees growing in Britain above 900 m. This focused recording effort contributed to eleven new altitudinal records for tree species in this country, including Sorbus aucuparia at 1150 m and Picea sitchensis at 1125 m (both East Inverness-shire, v.c.96). Some of these observations involved increases of at least 200 m above previous known altitudinal limits. The new records were a mix of small, stunted plants not expected to reach maturity in these extreme environments, as well as arctic-alpine Salix shrubs adapted to low temperatures and exposed conditions. Although these findings are currently too restricted to draw broad conclusions on the impacts of climate warming and land management on tree colonisation in mountain environments, long-term data collection may allow an analysis of drivers of change in the future. Out of a total of 72 tree records above 900 m collated by the author in 2022, 56% were Picea sitchensis, highlighting the ability of this neophyte to spread into high elevation habitats. The project has been useful for generating public interest in biological recording at and above the altitudinal treeline, and the continuation of such work will assist with mountain woodland restoration projects for a variety of ecologically important taxa and plant communities.

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“…There is also enthusiasm for increasing tree cover in the uplands across a range of stakeholders (FitzGerald et al., 2021). Restoration of woodland in the UK uplands, including mountain woodland that is almost absent from the UK, would bring a range of benefits (Watts & Jump, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural colonisation rates in a UK upland landscape under different conservation management approaches following sheep removal

Porton,

Wrigley,

Scott

et al. 2024

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Natural colonisation could provide a cost‐effective means to increase woodland coverage across the UK uplands. However, there is a shortage of evidence of which factors affect the success of natural colonisation, including grazing management. The species of grazer, grazing intensity and the stage of regeneration may alter the impact of grazing on the ability of trees to colonise an area. In this study, we quantify the effect of removing sheep from an area in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, England, and explore whether cattle or ungrazed management alters tree colonisation rates. We also tested other environmental factors such as distance from woodland, elevation and soil geology to understand the other constraints on natural colonisation. Naturally colonised trees were recorded within 60 plots at Ingleborough National Nature Reserve and surrounding Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserves. A series of generalised linear models, with a negative binomial distribution, were created to understand the effects that years since removal of sheep, current management, elevation, distance from woodland and soil geology had on the number of naturally colonising trees. The number of naturally colonising trees per hectare was 16% higher each year after sheep removal, with both cattle and ungrazed management being equally effective in promoting natural colonisation. Natural colonisation decreased by 25% for every additional 100 m from the nearest woodland and naturally colonising trees were much more frequent on limestone soil. Practical implication. This study shows that sheep grazing is a key limiting factor of natural colonisation in the UK uplands. Significant natural colonisation was possible on both cattle grazed and ungrazed sites and developed at a similar rate, highlighting a change in grazing animal can be as important as grazing cessation. Tree planting will still be required to restore tree cover to areas away from seed sources and improve diversity of future woodlands.

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The benefits of mountain woodland restoration

Abstract: The benefits of mountain woodland restorationRunning head: Benefits of mountain woodland restoration

Cited by 11 publications

References 54 publications

Linking High-Resolution UAV-Based Remote Sensing Data to Long-Term Vegetation Sampling—A Novel Workflow to Study Slow Ecotone Dynamics

Linking High-Resolution UAV-Based Remote Sensing Data to Long-Term Vegetation Sampling—A Novel Workflow to Study Slow Ecotone Dynamics

High mountain trees: altitudinal records recently broken for eleven different tree species in Britain

Natural colonisation rates in a UK upland landscape under different conservation management approaches following sheep removal

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