To plant or not to plant? Efficacy and impacts of woodland expansion in upland soils

In the face of the climate emergency, woodland expansion, and the role of trees in the global carbon cycle is a hot topic. How to manage woodland expansion, and the impacts on upland and organic soils will be central to transforming the UK from one of the lowest tree-cover countries in Europe, to a vibrant, wooded nation rich in biodiversity and able to mitigate climate change. By working at the cutting edge of ecological modelling, field and soil ecology, and collaborating with Woodland Trust on an exciting woodland expansion scheme at Ben Shieldaig in the Scottish highlands, you will have the opportunity to develop means to pave the way in this exciting field. You will gain a range of skills in spatial modelling, which will help us understand where woodland expansion will have the most combined ecological benefits.