[Finance] Forest-Finance risk network: towards stable investment environments for forestry
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Geosciences
Abstract
Our vision: To impel climate change mitigation action by motivating private investments in sustainably managed forest ecosystem services.
Our contribution: To address a critical KE gap between expertise on the mapping, modelling and quantification of the risk of forest carbon loss, and investor's confidence in forest investments (including in REDD+).
Our focus: To address 4 categories of risks (i) Climatic (ii) Fire (iii) Anthropogenic and (iv) Regulatory.
Our aim: To stimulate the exploitation of UK's world-class knowledge base -NERC and elsewhere - in forest loss and risk mapping by the UK knowledge brokers and financial institutions.
Our impacts: To deliver, as a consequence of this work, a more accurate and holistic understanding of the real risk represented by forest propositions around the world; a more stable and mainstream investment environment for forestry and; to bring forestry from the margins of business, to a business line as common as aviation, motor or life and pensions.
We request funding for a period of 12 months to support the creation of a ForestRisks-for-Finance Network. Partners, including WillisRE Ltd., ForestRe Ltd., Ecometrica Ltd, Acclimatise Ltd. The Edinburgh Centre on Climate Change, and Forest Research will contribute more than £55,000 in-cash and in-kind to this KE initiative. A PDRA will be appointed to effectively bring together the NERC funded and UK research community (on forest-loss risks) as well as to proactively engage with potential users (Brokers & End users).
This initiative stems from (a) recommendations made at the NERC-funded Long Finance symposia on "Forestry and Finance: Where's the data" (London, July 2010 and Sept 2010), to which the PI (Patenaude) was an invited panellist and (b) the wider KE activities led by Richard Max-Lino (NERC Knowledge and Innovation Manager, Financial Services) and the Long Finance initiative (http://www.zyen.com/long-finance.html).
Our contribution: To address a critical KE gap between expertise on the mapping, modelling and quantification of the risk of forest carbon loss, and investor's confidence in forest investments (including in REDD+).
Our focus: To address 4 categories of risks (i) Climatic (ii) Fire (iii) Anthropogenic and (iv) Regulatory.
Our aim: To stimulate the exploitation of UK's world-class knowledge base -NERC and elsewhere - in forest loss and risk mapping by the UK knowledge brokers and financial institutions.
Our impacts: To deliver, as a consequence of this work, a more accurate and holistic understanding of the real risk represented by forest propositions around the world; a more stable and mainstream investment environment for forestry and; to bring forestry from the margins of business, to a business line as common as aviation, motor or life and pensions.
We request funding for a period of 12 months to support the creation of a ForestRisks-for-Finance Network. Partners, including WillisRE Ltd., ForestRe Ltd., Ecometrica Ltd, Acclimatise Ltd. The Edinburgh Centre on Climate Change, and Forest Research will contribute more than £55,000 in-cash and in-kind to this KE initiative. A PDRA will be appointed to effectively bring together the NERC funded and UK research community (on forest-loss risks) as well as to proactively engage with potential users (Brokers & End users).
This initiative stems from (a) recommendations made at the NERC-funded Long Finance symposia on "Forestry and Finance: Where's the data" (London, July 2010 and Sept 2010), to which the PI (Patenaude) was an invited panellist and (b) the wider KE activities led by Richard Max-Lino (NERC Knowledge and Innovation Manager, Financial Services) and the Long Finance initiative (http://www.zyen.com/long-finance.html).
Organisations
- University of Edinburgh (Lead Research Organisation)
- LTS International Ltd (Collaboration)
- Forestry and Wood Technology Center (Collaboration)
- Institute Development Forest (Collaboration)
- Forestry Commission (Collaboration)
- European Forest Institute (Collaboration)
- ForestRe Ltd (Collaboration)
- Technical University of Denmark (Collaboration)
- French National Institute of Agricultural Research (Collaboration)
- Western University (Collaboration)
- UNIQUE forestry consultants GmbH (Collaboration)
- Forest Research (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- FCBA (Collaboration)
- Forest Carbon Ltd (Project Partner)
- Edinburgh Climate Change Commission (Project Partner)
- Forestry Commission England (Project Partner)
- Acclimatise Group Ltd (Project Partner)
- Willis Towers Watson (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Ecometrica (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- ForestRe (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- EnviroMarket Ltd (Project Partner)
Publications
Andersson M
(2014)
Life-style services and yield from south-Swedish forests adaptively managed against the risk of wind damage: a simulation study
in Regional Environmental Change
Chen Y
(2018)
Simulating damage for wind storms in the land surface model ORCHIDEE-CAN (revision 4262)
in Geoscientific Model Development
Davies S
(2017)
A new approach to assessing the risk to woodland from pest and diseases
in Forestry
Davies S
(2014)
Addressing the forest science versus investments nexus: can a more holistic understanding of risks bridge the gap?
in Carbon Management
Gardiner B
(2016)
Review: Wind impacts on plant growth, mechanics and damage.
in Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology
Grant E
(2015)
Field Observations of Canopy Flows over Complex Terrain
in Boundary-Layer Meteorology
Hale S
(2015)
Comparison and validation of three versions of a forest wind risk model
in Environmental Modelling & Software
Kamimura K
(2016)
Mechanistic and statistical approaches to predicting wind damage to individual maritime pine ( Pinus pinaster ) trees in forests
in Canadian Journal of Forest Research
Locatelli T
(2017)
Variance-based sensitivity analysis of a wind risk model - Model behaviour and lessons for forest modelling
in Environmental Modelling & Software
| Description | The network explored the divergence between academia and industry in their understanding of the risks of forest-loss. Our focus has been on the risks that natural and anthropogenic hazards pose to forests. Identifying the synergies and divergence between these sectors has helped to identify how academic impact can be maximised (e.g. by helping to design products useful for, e.g. the insurance industry). |
| Exploitation Route | Our findings can be (and have been) taken forward by the insurance industry in their design of entirely new products focussing on hazards (e.g. pest and diseases, fires). Additionally, forest carbon standards (e.g. the UK woodland carbon code) is currently being informed by our research on improving risks assessment. Finally, the development of protocols for quantifying risks in different sectors (investors, insurers and forest carbon standards) are using our databases of risks to improve their assessment. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Description | Our findings can be (and have been) taken forward by the insurance industry in their design of entirely new products focussing on hazards (e.g. pest and diseases, fires). Additionally, based on our research, forest carbon standards (e.g. the UK woodland carbon code) are improving their risk assessment protocols. Finally, different sectors (investors, and other forest carbon standards) are using our databases of risks to improve the accuracy in their risk assessment. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy |
| Impact Types | Economic |
| Description | ForestRe Ltd - impact on practice |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | ForestRe Ltd is a London-based company, that specialises in the design of insurance and reinsurance products for forestry and tree crops worldwide. It constantly seeks better information on potential losses to forests from natural disturbances in order to develop better insurance products. It has worked closely with various experts in the Forest Finance Risk Network over the last few years to obtain such information. The contacts were made via the network. In addition, ForestRe will be a partner to the new NERC PURE project (NE/M008541/1) that arose out of the Forest Finance Risk Network which will work with ForestRe to develop potential insurance products for drought and pest and diseases which are currently largely absent from the market. Development of such insurance would have a significant impact on global forest markets. |
| Description | Forestry Commission Preparation for Unpredictable Threats |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The Forestry Commission is responsible for the sustainability of UK Forests. An invite-only seminar was held hosted jointly by the Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage on 'New approaches to preparing for unpredictable threats'. The researcher was invited to contribute to the workshop which aimed to seek advice on management decisions for future sustainability, for example whether or not it was advisable for commercial timber production to be dominated by Sitka Spruce. |
| Description | Influenced training of practitioners on tools available to assess natural disaster risks to forests estates |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Trained forest practitioners on most up to date scientific knowledge on risks to UK forest estates, and the tools available to manage these risks. |
| Description | Participation in advisory committee for the management of risks to the national forest estate - Mike Perks |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | Changes in decision related to species plantations - to ensure resilience of forest stock to future threats and risks. |
| Description | Technical Seminar Forest Research (NRS) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The researcher was asked to give a technical seminar on 'Translating the science of natural forest disturbance into risk management advice for the finance sector'. The seminar was provided to Forest Research staff but was also accessible online to related institutions. The aim was to educate the audience on how to adapt their research to be applicable and useful to a finance audience including insurers, investors and carbon standards involved in the forest sector. The seminar was based on the findings of the Forest Finance Risk Network and also the associated NERC PURE projects (NERC/PA 13-021 and NE/M008541/1). |
| Description | Woodland Carbon Code Risk Buffer |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The Forestry Commission operates the Woodland Carbon Code which is the standard for woodland carbon projects in the UK. Not all carbon sequestered under these projects can be sold as carbon credits, a portion must be set aside in a buffer against future losses. The Forestry Commission has sought advice from the researcher on how big this buffer should be to cover potential losses from natural hazards such as wind, fire and pest and diseases. The researcher used her expertise gained from the Forest Finance Risk Network and also the PURE projects that arose from this network (NERC/PA 13-021 and NE/M008541/1) to provide recommendations to the working group on these buffers. The recommendations are provided here: https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/media/3249/lessons-on-risk-management-from-the-finance-sector-for-climate-change-adaptation-in-scotlands-forestry-sector.pdf The report recommended that the Woodland Carbon Code committee consider moving to a fixed buffer system. At this time, each project certified under the code had to conduct a risk assessment prior to project commencement, which was then independently verified, and used to assess the amount of carbon credits set aside as a buffer against future losses. The report suggested replacing this with a fixed amount for each project. Following this recommendation the Committee reviewed the proposal and in 2018 the Woodland Carbon Code system changed to a fixed buffer system. |
| URL | https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/media/3249/lessons-on-risk-management-from-the-finance-sector-for-... |
| Description | EFI Network Fund |
| Amount | € 88,176 (EUR) |
| Organisation | European Forest Institute |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Finland |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 04/2020 |
| Description | EFI Short Scientific Visit |
| Amount | € 2,000 (EUR) |
| Organisation | European Forest Institute |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Finland |
| Start | 09/2017 |
| End | 03/2018 |
| Description | Enterreg Sudoe Project |
| Amount | € 1,820,916 (EUR) |
| Organisation | European Union |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 06/2019 |
| Description | Innovation to commercialisation of university research (ICURe) |
| Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2019 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Description | NERC Knowledge Exchange fellowship to Susan Davies |
| Amount | £203,343 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/P006477/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2016 |
| End | 10/2019 |
| Description | NERC PURE Associates |
| Amount | £21,254 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | PA 13-021 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2013 |
| End | 05/2014 |
| Description | NERC PURE Associates Follow on Funding |
| Amount | £144,590 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/M008541/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2014 |
| End | 03/2015 |
| Description | Royal Society Entreprise Fellowship |
| Amount | £90,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Entreprise Fellowship |
| Organisation | Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2019 |
| End | 04/2020 |
| Description | Royal Society of Edinburgh Entreprise Fellowship |
| Amount | £90,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2019 |
| End | 04/2020 |
| Description | Service level agreement to Dr. Mike Perks |
| Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of the UK |
| Department | Forestry Commission Scotland |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2018 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Title | Global survey of information requirements on natural disturbance risks to forests across the forest sector |
| Description | A global survey was conducted to establish perceptions of forest stakeholders in relation to natural disturbance risks to forests such as wind, fire, pest and disease and drought. Over 300 forest stakeholders from a range of sectors were identified and surveyed using contacts from previous projects, a literature review and a snowball technique. Sectors covered by the survey included forest managers; forest timber and carbon project developers; land owners; investors; forest fund managers; insurers/reinsurers; forest insurance brokers; and consultants/advisers. An online survey was developed and sent to these organisations. It asked questions about their perception of natural disturbance risks to global forests, their experience of losses from their own projects; details of how they assessed such risks to their own projects and any information requirements that they might have that they would like NERC to provide. 72 responses were received . |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The survey revealed that whilst fire and wind are major sources of loss, they can easily be insured against, whereas drought and pest and diseases can rarely be insured. Insurance is possible for fire and wind as currently available information is adequate to calculate premiums, whereas it is not generally available for pest and disease and drought riskier to a lack of required information. Insurers are interested in better wind/fire information, but the wider sector is more concerned about better information on pest and diseases and drought precisely because these risks cannot be insured against. A summary of the results is being sent to participants to promote knowledge on risk perceptions and assessment techniques but has also provided input to inform the KE Fellowship. The information will be used to identify and promote relevant UK research to survey participants and also to inform priorities. In particular, the Fellowship will focus on the key areas of pest and disease and drought information. A publication is in development. |
| Title | Database creation - on Future forest risks and forest suitability given droughts - Susan Davies & Mike Perks |
| Description | This database provides information on species suitability to survive various levels of drought conditions. This is to inform the suitability of species selection under different scenarios of climate change. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Changes in Forestry Commission UK plans and species management |
| Title | ForestGALES - Barry Gardiner |
| Description | The model was expanded to be suitable to new species, based on the work conducted as part of the projects. The Model initially was designed to predict wind risk to a few species/forest stands and individual trees (mainly coniferous) but the work has been expanded. ForestGALES is now adapted to a wider range of species that are of commercial value and at risk. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Widely used model around the world (UK, France, Canada, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand). Mainly a research tool but more and more beginning to be used to support forest policy decisions. |
| URL | https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestgales |
| Title | Pest and Disease Model |
| Description | During the work done for the Forest Finance Risk Network it became clear that there was no model currently existing that quantified the risk of the future threat of pest and diseases (P&D) to UK woodland in a way that could be used by insurers and carbon standards. Existing research focuses on historic trends in P&D and individual P&D. The Woodland Carbon Code is the standard for woodland carbon projects in the UK and is developed by the Forestry Commission. Not all carbon sequestered in these projects can be sold as carbon credits. Some carbon has to be set aside against future losses. As part of the calculation some carbon has to be set aside against losses from P&D. This model therefore looks at the current and future P&D threats and provides the first model that attempts to quantify the risks from all of these and provide a single overall potential % loss to the woodland carbon projects over the next 100 years from them. This model is interactive and provides a tool that can be made to make decision on the adequacy of the buffer. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The model was funded by the first PURE Associates call (PA 13-021). The Forestry Commission and Forest Research have both looked at the model and it has already influenced debate on how to assess future risks from P&D. The researcher has spoken once at a technical seminar at Forest Research on the model and is to speak again in December at the Forestry Commission to an audience of staff working in the plant health area. Pat Snowdon, Head of Economics and Climate Change, was the partner to the PURE project and described the model to the Defra Chief Scientist who has asked for more information. A report is being finalised for him to this end. The team successfully applied for follow on funding from the NERC PURE call to embed the outputs of this model in the operational procedures for the woodland carbon code and to adapt the model for wider use in the forest sector and also for insurance purposes. This project is underway (NE/M008541/1). The idea and demand for the model came out of the Forest Finance Risk Network projects, as did the collaborative partnership for the new PURE project. Network members will contribute to the development of the model |
| Description | Consultancy commissioned by the Forestry Commission on the adequacy of forest buffers against loss to Woodland Carbon Code projects |
| Organisation | Forestry Commission |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Following the successful development of the Forest Finance Risk team the Head of Economics and Climate Change at the Forestry Commission commissioned the researcher, Susan Davies, to do a 1 month piece of consultancy to assess the adequacy of the current buffers against loss in the current Woodland Carbon Code portfolio. The Woodland Carbon Code is the standard for forest carbon projects in the UK. The amount of carbon sequestered on these projects is measured periodically, validated by external assessors and then sold as voluntary carbon credits. However not all credits are sold. Some of the credits are set aside against potential future losses from disturbances including natural disturbance risks. The researcher used the outputs of the risk network projects to identify existing research on risks to UK forests and to provide some of the input to this consultancy. The researcher was commissioned directly on account of the risk network activity which identified key academics working in this field and appropriate research on natural disturbance losses. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Forestry Commission commissioned this research and specified the outputs required. |
| Impact | Following this consultancy, Dr Pat Snowdon, Head of Economics and Climate Change at the Forestry Commission, became a project partner to 4 subsequent NERC funded projects as linked making significant contribution to each project. This collaboration is therefore still active though it is now as a project partner not consultancy. The report recommended that the Woodland Carbon Code committee consider moving to a fixed buffer system. At this time, each project certified under the code had to conduct a risk assessment prior to project commencement, which was then independently verified, and used to assess the amount of carbon credits set aside as a buffer against future losses. The report suggested replacing this with a fixed amount for each project. Following this recommendation the Committee reviewed the proposal and in 2018 the Woodland Carbon Code system changed to a fixed buffer system. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | EFI European Forest RIsk Facility |
| Organisation | European Forest Institute |
| Country | Finland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The European Forest Institute (EFI) is in the process of setting up a European Forest Risk Facility (FRISK). They are seeking input from experts on the scope and design of this network. The researcher has attended 2 events - EFI's annual conference held in Nancy, France in 2013, and also a workshop held in Bavaria, Germany in 2014, to provide her input to the design. Her expertise was directly sought by the team as her experience running the Forest Finance Risk Network is extremely useful to them. In particular she alerted them to the wider interest in the network from the finance sector. She also features in their promotional video talking of the interests of this sector |
| Collaborator Contribution | Members of the FRISK network in turn are now part of the Forest Finance RIsk Network and contributing their expertise to the case study work that is underway for the second year of the network. |
| Impact | n/a |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | FORRISK : a network for innovation in silvicultures and integrated systems for forest risk management |
| Organisation | European Forest Institute |
| Country | Finland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Barry Gardiner (Team Member) contributed expertise on Wind Risks to Forest Ecosystems in Europe. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Conducting comparative studies of existing systems of risk management in the SUDOE area (South-West Europe) Producing multi-risk and trans-national analysis Providing methodological and practical proposals for risk management in forests FORRISK seeks to build new ways to fight against biotic and abiotic forest risks. This project seeks to produce proposals for transfer and improvement of existing methods through the transnational and trans-regional scientific and organizational cooperation between: Portugal Northwestern Spain Southwestern France. |
| Impact | http://forrisk.efiatlantic.efi.int/-Publications-.html |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | FORRISK : a network for innovation in silvicultures and integrated systems for forest risk management |
| Organisation | FCBA |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Barry Gardiner (Team Member) contributed expertise on Wind Risks to Forest Ecosystems in Europe. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Conducting comparative studies of existing systems of risk management in the SUDOE area (South-West Europe) Producing multi-risk and trans-national analysis Providing methodological and practical proposals for risk management in forests FORRISK seeks to build new ways to fight against biotic and abiotic forest risks. This project seeks to produce proposals for transfer and improvement of existing methods through the transnational and trans-regional scientific and organizational cooperation between: Portugal Northwestern Spain Southwestern France. |
| Impact | http://forrisk.efiatlantic.efi.int/-Publications-.html |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | FORRISK : a network for innovation in silvicultures and integrated systems for forest risk management |
| Organisation | Forestry and Wood Technology Center |
| Country | Spain |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Barry Gardiner (Team Member) contributed expertise on Wind Risks to Forest Ecosystems in Europe. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Conducting comparative studies of existing systems of risk management in the SUDOE area (South-West Europe) Producing multi-risk and trans-national analysis Providing methodological and practical proposals for risk management in forests FORRISK seeks to build new ways to fight against biotic and abiotic forest risks. This project seeks to produce proposals for transfer and improvement of existing methods through the transnational and trans-regional scientific and organizational cooperation between: Portugal Northwestern Spain Southwestern France. |
| Impact | http://forrisk.efiatlantic.efi.int/-Publications-.html |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | FORRISK : a network for innovation in silvicultures and integrated systems for forest risk management |
| Organisation | French National Institute of Agricultural Research |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Barry Gardiner (Team Member) contributed expertise on Wind Risks to Forest Ecosystems in Europe. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Conducting comparative studies of existing systems of risk management in the SUDOE area (South-West Europe) Producing multi-risk and trans-national analysis Providing methodological and practical proposals for risk management in forests FORRISK seeks to build new ways to fight against biotic and abiotic forest risks. This project seeks to produce proposals for transfer and improvement of existing methods through the transnational and trans-regional scientific and organizational cooperation between: Portugal Northwestern Spain Southwestern France. |
| Impact | http://forrisk.efiatlantic.efi.int/-Publications-.html |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | FORRISK : a network for innovation in silvicultures and integrated systems for forest risk management |
| Organisation | Institute Development Forest |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Barry Gardiner (Team Member) contributed expertise on Wind Risks to Forest Ecosystems in Europe. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Conducting comparative studies of existing systems of risk management in the SUDOE area (South-West Europe) Producing multi-risk and trans-national analysis Providing methodological and practical proposals for risk management in forests FORRISK seeks to build new ways to fight against biotic and abiotic forest risks. This project seeks to produce proposals for transfer and improvement of existing methods through the transnational and trans-regional scientific and organizational cooperation between: Portugal Northwestern Spain Southwestern France. |
| Impact | http://forrisk.efiatlantic.efi.int/-Publications-.html |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Hectares Indicator methodology |
| Organisation | LTS International Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | DFID is the UK Government department responsible for leading the UK?s work to end extreme poverty, by fostering inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. The International Climate Fund (ICF) is a £2.9bn HMG fund over 2011/12 to 2014/15 spending review, which is managed jointly by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This consultancy and collaborative project aims at revising and proposing an indicator that will allow to assess the performance of ICF's forestry programmes |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Project partnership to develop the pest and disease model and a Forest Research model on drought risk for insurance and woodland carbon code purposes |
| Organisation | Forest Research |
| Department | Northern Research Station |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Forest Research provided a dataset linking future estimates of moisture deficit to yields (rate of tree growth), for 3 tree species and for various sites across the UK. During the project, they provided a new dataset for Birch. A thorough literature review by the Edinburgh team helped the threshold of drought that species can tolerate before they die and probabilistic drought risk estimates were derived from these. The review also identified a drought index which combines information on moisture deficit and the capacity of soils to retain moisture. Working with our project partners we identified how best to adapt these datasets to meet information requirements for insurance and forest carbon drought risk assessments. A model to assess P&D risk to UK forest carbon projects (over 100 years), developed as part of a previous NERC-PURE funded project, was refined, peer-reviewed and published in Forestry Journal. The model was adapted to provides assessments for projects of different duration and shows that shorter projects are not necessarily less risky. |
| Collaborator Contribution | As above, the work was done jointly between the Edinburgh team and Forest Research. ForestRe (an insurer) and the Forestry Commission provided input on their information requirements the team and met periodically to provide feedback on interim deliverables and the final output. |
| Impact | The findings on drought risk highlighted the greater risk to tree species in the South East from drought, versus those from Scotland. ForestRe is using these results to investigate the potential for drought insurance products. The Forestry Commission is looking at the impact on forest carbon projects. A by-product of the research led Forest Research to develop new UK-wide drought maps. As a result of the pest and disease work FERA and DEFRA lent support to a follow-on NERC Fellowship for the researcher to develop this model and complete a comprehensive assessment of P&D risk. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Project partnership to develop the pest and disease model and a Forest Research model on drought risk for insurance and woodland carbon code purposes |
| Organisation | ForestRe Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Forest Research provided a dataset linking future estimates of moisture deficit to yields (rate of tree growth), for 3 tree species and for various sites across the UK. During the project, they provided a new dataset for Birch. A thorough literature review by the Edinburgh team helped the threshold of drought that species can tolerate before they die and probabilistic drought risk estimates were derived from these. The review also identified a drought index which combines information on moisture deficit and the capacity of soils to retain moisture. Working with our project partners we identified how best to adapt these datasets to meet information requirements for insurance and forest carbon drought risk assessments. A model to assess P&D risk to UK forest carbon projects (over 100 years), developed as part of a previous NERC-PURE funded project, was refined, peer-reviewed and published in Forestry Journal. The model was adapted to provides assessments for projects of different duration and shows that shorter projects are not necessarily less risky. |
| Collaborator Contribution | As above, the work was done jointly between the Edinburgh team and Forest Research. ForestRe (an insurer) and the Forestry Commission provided input on their information requirements the team and met periodically to provide feedback on interim deliverables and the final output. |
| Impact | The findings on drought risk highlighted the greater risk to tree species in the South East from drought, versus those from Scotland. ForestRe is using these results to investigate the potential for drought insurance products. The Forestry Commission is looking at the impact on forest carbon projects. A by-product of the research led Forest Research to develop new UK-wide drought maps. As a result of the pest and disease work FERA and DEFRA lent support to a follow-on NERC Fellowship for the researcher to develop this model and complete a comprehensive assessment of P&D risk. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Project partnership to develop the pest and disease model and a Forest Research model on drought risk for insurance and woodland carbon code purposes |
| Organisation | Forestry Commission |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Forest Research provided a dataset linking future estimates of moisture deficit to yields (rate of tree growth), for 3 tree species and for various sites across the UK. During the project, they provided a new dataset for Birch. A thorough literature review by the Edinburgh team helped the threshold of drought that species can tolerate before they die and probabilistic drought risk estimates were derived from these. The review also identified a drought index which combines information on moisture deficit and the capacity of soils to retain moisture. Working with our project partners we identified how best to adapt these datasets to meet information requirements for insurance and forest carbon drought risk assessments. A model to assess P&D risk to UK forest carbon projects (over 100 years), developed as part of a previous NERC-PURE funded project, was refined, peer-reviewed and published in Forestry Journal. The model was adapted to provides assessments for projects of different duration and shows that shorter projects are not necessarily less risky. |
| Collaborator Contribution | As above, the work was done jointly between the Edinburgh team and Forest Research. ForestRe (an insurer) and the Forestry Commission provided input on their information requirements the team and met periodically to provide feedback on interim deliverables and the final output. |
| Impact | The findings on drought risk highlighted the greater risk to tree species in the South East from drought, versus those from Scotland. ForestRe is using these results to investigate the potential for drought insurance products. The Forestry Commission is looking at the impact on forest carbon projects. A by-product of the research led Forest Research to develop new UK-wide drought maps. As a result of the pest and disease work FERA and DEFRA lent support to a follow-on NERC Fellowship for the researcher to develop this model and complete a comprehensive assessment of P&D risk. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Single Tree |
| Organisation | European Forest Institute |
| Country | Finland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Developing wind risk models for individual trees either in forest or the urban environment |
| Collaborator Contribution | Danish Technical University: Field measurements of tree motion and wind and project coordination European Forest Institute: Wind risk models for individual trees and connecting risk models with airflow models University of Western Ontario: Wind tunnel tests on individual trees |
| Impact | - New, DTU-developed, advanced laser-based technique to scan the wind field around a single tree in nature and to characterize and quantify its effect on the near-surface wind. - Bridge the gap between the single-tree and a small forest by large scale physical modeling in the new and unique indoor WindEEE Dome facility in Canada. - A range of computer flow models with varying complexity to numerically investigate and reproduce the wind field of the observations. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Single Tree |
| Organisation | Technical University of Denmark |
| Country | Denmark |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Developing wind risk models for individual trees either in forest or the urban environment |
| Collaborator Contribution | Danish Technical University: Field measurements of tree motion and wind and project coordination European Forest Institute: Wind risk models for individual trees and connecting risk models with airflow models University of Western Ontario: Wind tunnel tests on individual trees |
| Impact | - New, DTU-developed, advanced laser-based technique to scan the wind field around a single tree in nature and to characterize and quantify its effect on the near-surface wind. - Bridge the gap between the single-tree and a small forest by large scale physical modeling in the new and unique indoor WindEEE Dome facility in Canada. - A range of computer flow models with varying complexity to numerically investigate and reproduce the wind field of the observations. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Single Tree |
| Organisation | Western University |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Developing wind risk models for individual trees either in forest or the urban environment |
| Collaborator Contribution | Danish Technical University: Field measurements of tree motion and wind and project coordination European Forest Institute: Wind risk models for individual trees and connecting risk models with airflow models University of Western Ontario: Wind tunnel tests on individual trees |
| Impact | - New, DTU-developed, advanced laser-based technique to scan the wind field around a single tree in nature and to characterize and quantify its effect on the near-surface wind. - Bridge the gap between the single-tree and a small forest by large scale physical modeling in the new and unique indoor WindEEE Dome facility in Canada. - A range of computer flow models with varying complexity to numerically investigate and reproduce the wind field of the observations. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Wind risk in Viet Nam |
| Organisation | UNIQUE forestry consultants GmbH |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Assessing Wind damage risk for Acacia plantations in Thua Thien Hue province of Vietnam |
| Collaborator Contribution | Forest Research: research; UNIQUE forestry and land use GmbH: data provider |
| Impact | https://www.unique-landuse.de/images/publications/vereinheitlicht/2017-09_Wind_Study_Vietnam_final.pdf |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Company Name | Quosient Ltd. |
| Description | Quosient Ltd (SC644175, trading as Earth Blox) was incorporated on the 10th of October 2019. We have created a prototype (TRL5) and with funding from the Innovate UK ICURe programme (Innovation-to-Commercialisation of University Research), we validated our business proposition worldwide (Sept-Dec 2019). Our Earth Blox innovation (US Patent Office, Application No. 62/958,657, 08/01/20) lies in the complete removal of coding skills, making space data accessible to the masses, globally. Our vision is to remove the barriers preventing widespread adoption of global satellite data. Earth Blox democratises the power of satellite data and intelligence, by leveraging the power of cloud processing without the need for computer coding or high level Earth-observation expertise. It enables the processing of terabytes of planetary scale geospatial data and the creation and download of actionable insights with unprecedented power and ease. With its unique easy-to-use interface, Earth Blox benefits decision-makers in every sector. Satellites and planetary-scale data are available at unprecedented rates of acquisition for solving global challenges, ranging from deforestation, urban expansion and large-scale disaster mapping. Yet, while environmental consultancies, supply-chain managers, insurers, retail and decision-makers in public institutions want to access this information, they are hindered by the complexity, cost and skill levels required to exploit the data - Earth Blox removes these barriers. The market is desperate for Earth Blox: 'Unequivocally there is a need for this tool' G.Camâra, Director, GEO Secretariat (representing 100+ national governments and intergovernmental organizations) '...I can get this adopted in several companies' P.Cottle, Head of Forestry, Globe Underwriting. 'this is really powerful' K.Monteath, Regional Director, AECOM. |
| Year Established | 2019 |
| Impact | We have not yet commercialise our technology, so we cannot yet report our impacts |
| Website | http://blox.earth |
| Description | Attendance at invite-only workshop on New approaches to preparing for unpredictable threats organised by the Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage organised a workshop to seek input and advice from experts on threats to UK forests in order to develop policies and practice to reduce risks. The researcher, Susan Davies, was invited to provide expertise primarily on the work to assess pest and disease risk but also to provide input on broader risk management techniques from her background in risk management in the City and involvement in previous NERC projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | BBC4 -Oak tree: Nature's Greatest survivor |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A BBC4 filming crew and their presenter (Dr George McGavin) visited our team at Forest Research to film. Our team members, (incl. T. Locatelli) were filmed using tree pulling techniques to show the strength of this species and it's resistance to windthrow (an oak tree was pulled following the tree-pulling protocol to assess tree resistance to overturning). The experiment and associated interviews then became part of the BBC4's 1.5-hr long "Oak tree: Nature's Greatest survivor" documentary. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06fq03t |
| Description | Dissemination to Woodland Carbon Code Executive and Advisory Boards |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Forest pest and disease risk analysis work presented to Woodland Carbon Code governance groups, leading to a change in approach for assessing risk under the Code |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.forestry.gov.uk/carboncode |
| Description | Forest Risks Website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A new Forest Risks website was developed to promote the activities of the NERC funded projects on natural disturbance risks to forests. Sections were added on wind, fire, pest and disease, drought and anthropogenic risk. The website provides links to academics and researchers working in these areas as well as summaries of their work together with contact information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://forestrisks.net |
| Description | Forest wind risk in a changing climate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The presentation and discussions informed practitioners about species planting selections: More specifically, on the impact of species and management choices on wind risk to forests in south-west Europe under a changing climate |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.ecca2015.eu/ |
| Description | Guest lecture to students on Forests and Environments MSc about risk management and NERC projects on natural disturbance risks to forests |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The Fellow was invited as a guest lecturer to present to Masters students on the Forests and Environment MSc at University of Edinburgh about risk management and her work on NERC funded projects in relation to forests and natural disturbance risks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Institute of Chartered Foresters - meeting and conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation and engagement with participants on new methods developed as part of these projects, for assessing pest and disease risk in forestry in the UK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | https://www.charteredforesters.org/ |
| Description | International Conference on Wind and Trees |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Organised international workshop and conference for researchers and practitioners interested in quantifying or understanding the impact of wind on forests |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.mmm.ucar.edu/wind-and-trees |
| Description | Managing risk on the national forest estate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Liaison with lead planners for risk assessments on the national forest estate |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| Description | Storm risks in the European Union |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professionals and practitioners from all over Europe attended this meeting, where results on quantification of risks to forest ecosystems were presented, and approaches used or developed, shared. Training was also offered. Forest management at the EU level and associated approaches were modified as a result of this meeting and wider findings on incoming risks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://forrisk.efiatlantic.efi.int/Nouvelle-traduction-Final-Conference-Silviculture.html?lang=fr |
| Description | Technical seminar to Forest Research staff at Alice Holt |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The researcher, Susan Davies, was invited to give a technical seminar to the staff of Alice Holt research station covering the pest and disease work and also the outputs from previous NERC projects on natural disturbance risks to forests. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Technical seminar to Forest Research staff at the Northern Research Station |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The researcher was invited to give a technical seminar focusing on the risk network and case study projects and the requirements of the finance sector for forest risk information. The seminar was attended by a large number of Forest Research staff but was also broadcast online to a wider audience of related organisations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Understanding Forest Abiotic and Biotic Risks and Their Interactions |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to international group to discuss "What added value can a European Forest Risk Facility provide?" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.eficent.efi.int/portal/events/?bid=1121 |
| Description | Wildfire Research Workshop 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On account of her expertise gathered from previous NERC projects and the current Knowledge Exchange Fellowship, Susan was invited to participate in the second gathering of a new working group focused on coordinating wildfire research in the UK. The working group was hosted by Rob Gazzard (Forestry Commission) and Julia McMorrow (University of Manchester). The aim of this specific workshop was to define projects that would lead towards the development of a more appropriate Fire Danger Rating System and associated policy in the UK. More generally the working group and workshop also aim to coordinate the development of wildfire related social, economic and environmental research to address policy and practical challenges. Working group participants from the wildfire sector include academics/researchers, policymakers, fire agencies, local/national government, the Forestry Commission and its subisidiaries, and so forth. Around 15 people attended this event at which a range of possible research projects were identified and prioritised. The group gave feedback on each concept and projects were allocated to individuals to define and take forwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Wind Risk in Scottish Forests |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Demonstration to Forest Districts in Scotland on how to implement wind risk tools within their management planning across Scotland |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Wind and Trees Facebook Page |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Facebook page created as a fora for practitioners and researchers alike, interested in wind damage to trees to compare and share experience and information |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016,2017,2018 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/groups/windandtrees/ |
| Description | Workshop Forest Wind - Mathematical Modelling of Wind Damage Risk to Forests |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This workshop brought together forest wind risk modellers and experts in airflow modelling, climate modelling and engineering risk analysis. The workshop took place over 2.5 days with an emphasis on discussion and debate over the future directions for mechanistic modelling. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://colloque.inra.fr/forest-wind/Home/News/Summary |
| Description | Workshop for PhD students that are part of the NERC Doctoral Training Partnership |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The Knowledge Exchange Fellow provided training and support to NERC E3 Doctoral Training Partnership funded PhD students. The Fellow found placements for 3 PhD students in a the private sector and Forestry Commission using her contacts.She also hosted and chaired a 1-day workshop, with the theme: risk and resilience, which was used to raise awareness in students of the importance of creating impact from research and issues that arise when applying research. The Fellow presented at this workshop and invited other industry practitioners to provide additional presentations of their experience in using academic research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |