Join us for #MembersHour on 29 January with Neil Riddle, Chris Tomlin and Dr Pat White.

Mammals play an important role in woodland ecosystems and agroforestry. However, wild, domestic, and feral mammals can cause significant damage to trees, potentially impacting woodland creation and management goals. This, in turn, may affect the valuable ecosystem services that trees provide, such as biodiversity conservation and timber production.

This #MembersHour will provide an overview of new tree protection guidance including case studies and a visual guide to mammal damage that has been published by the Forestry Commission, with support from Edinburgh Napier University. Being able to spot signs of mammal damage, identify what species might be involved and put effective management in place, is critical to avoid significant damage being done to trees and woodlands. The guidance will support land managers, advisers, and owners in identifying appropriate tree protection options and also covers topics such as conservation grazing within woodlands.

Neil and Chris from the Forestry Commission and Pat from Edinburgh Napier University will give an overview of the project and what resources are now available.

Speakers

Neil Riddle MICFor - Head of Natural Environment, Forestry Commission

Neil is the Forestry Commission’s national head of natural environment specialising  in woodland ecology providing policy advice and evidence on habitats and wildlife to Government and other agencies. He is a chartered forester, woodland owner and a member of the British Ecological Society.

Chris Tomlin - Policy Advisor- Natural Environment, Forestry Commission

Chris joined the Forestry Commission as a Policy Advisor- Natural Environment. He studied Forestry at Bangor University and following a move from Arboriculture to into land management, he studied Countryside Management at the University of London. Chris has had a varied career over the last 30 years, working for Local Authorities, Countryside Agency, Heritage Lottery Fund and Lake District National Park Authority. He is currently project managing a range of work, including the tree protection project and woodland condition assessment.

Dr Pat White - Associate Professor, Edinburgh Napier University

Pat is an Associate Professor of Applied Ecology in the Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science at Edinburgh Napier University. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Ecology & Envrionmental Management, a member of the IUCN Otter Specialist Group and a Subject Editor for the journal Wildlife Biology. He previously worked on a NatureScot and Forestry & Land Scotland project looking at black grouse use of forest habitats. More recently he has worked with Forestry Commission on projects relating to uplands birds and woodland creation, management of ancient and native woodland, and impacts of mammals on trees and associated tree protection approaches.