forestry production

• Woodlands have been used for construction and fuel, there are few pristine woodlands, so mostly woodlands are semi-natural. 
• Hardwoods like oak were used for building ships and houses. Until the 1800s wood was the main resource and currently wood is used construction, furniture and paper. 
• Coppicing and pollarding is used to produce long narrow stems of wood. 
• Plantations are managed by the forestry commission, where trees are planted to provide timber. Plantations are found on low value land, the trees were all planted at the same time. Conifers are straight, fast growing and disease resistant. Trees are planted close together, so they grew faster with few branches, often planted in regular shapes. 
• Plantations are monocultures that limit diversity and provide little food for native fauna. Low levels of light and leaf litter reduces ground flora growth.
• Forest parks are owned by the forest commission and are open to the public. 
• Sustainable forestry:

  • Coppicing and pollarding 
  • Tree nurseries 
  • Mixed plantations 
  • Surplus timbre given to local craftsmen 
  • Offcuts used for fuel
  • Reducing use of heavy machinery 
  • Heli logging 
  • Heavy horses 
  • Narrow access paths 
  • Felling on outskirts of woodland 
• Conifers prefer acidic soil so are planted on heath. 85% of heathland was lost to conifer plantations. 
• Land is prepared by heavy machinery, weedkiller is applied and the selectively bred trees are planted. 
• Saplings are grown in a nursery, and planted together, insect pests (pine weevil and spruce budworm) are killed to increase yields. Diseases (butt rot) are controlled with fungicides and fertilisers are added to increase biomass. 
• Pesticides often kill non-target species because they have a low-specificity. Many pesticides are water soluble so enter water courses and kill water species .
• Pesticides are liposoluble can bioaccumulate and biomagnify up the food chain impacting top predators. 
• Pesticides are persistent and remain in environments for a long time. 
• Non-native species like sitka spruce and Douglas fir are often planted in the UK.
• Plantations have low levels of light, low temperatures, monoculture/same age trees and acidic soils. 
• Plantations are thinned 30 years after planting to reduce planting density therefore promoting thicker trees. Thinning's are used for fencing stakes and paper then tinned again every 5-7 years. 
• Clear felling occurs 50-70 years. It removes and fragments habitat which reduces gene pools. It removes interception and promotes soil erosion, flooding and reduces evapotranspiration. 
• Clear felling is more economically efficient, provides easier access for tree removal, less labour intensive and opens up land for replanting. 
• Selective cutting and strip felling leaves canopy, and reduces soil erosion and maintains habitat. 
• 80% of trees are imported, UK timber industry is worth £2 billion - 40,000 workers. 
• Afforestation sequesters CO2 and increases cloud cover. 
• Afforestation may reduce biodiversity if its planted on a particular habitat - changes abiotic conditions. It also depends on the species planted, native vs non-native, monoculture vs mixed variety; native species will provide habitat for native wildlife. 
• Drax is a biomass power station located in north Yorkshire. It uses biproducts of the timbre industry to provide energy by making pellets and burning them. Drax was accused of cutting down environmentally important forests in Canada.