Guidance

Managing England’s woodlands in a climate emergency

Climate change management guidance for landowners, foresters and farmers to strengthen woodland management and combat the effects of climate change.

• From: Forestry Commission
• Published: 5 November 2019
• Last updated: 22 January 2025 — See all updates

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

Documents

Managing England’s woodlands in a climate emergency

PDF, 3.84 MB, 16 pages

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Details

The guidance outlines how foresters and agents can help make significant changes to the species composition, structure, and management of our woodlands. This will give them the best chance to survive and thrive in 50 years’ time, when we know our climate will be quite different.

Tree crops can take many years to mature, we need to plan and plant appropriately for both the current, and future climates.

This guidance contains:

• climate change and woodland: important points
• likely impacts of climate change on England’s trees and woodland
• principles for adapting England’s woodlands
• managing adaptation of England’s woodlands
• managing adaptation: native and ancient woodland
• reducing risk through diversification

Trees only help reduce the negative impacts of climate change if they are resilient to those challenges themselves. The climate matching tool helps you decide which tree seeds to plant in light of the changing climate.

Visit Forest Research’s Climate Change Hub for information and guidance on protecting our woodlands and forests from the impacts and risks due to the changing climate.

Published 5 November 2019
Last updated 22 January 2025 + show all updates

1. 22 January 2025

   Added a link to the Climate Change Hub.

2. 3 August 2020

   This page has been updated with information about the climate matching tool, which can help you to consider the selection of seed from trees that are growing successfully in an environment that England’s may look like in the future.

3. 12 March 2020

   The 'Managing England’s woodlands in a climate emergency' guide has been updated.

4. 5 November 2019

   First published.