University of Birmingham Joins New National Centre to Protect UK Forests

The University of Birmingham is proud to announce its role in a major new initiative to protect the UK’s forests and woodlands, following official confirmation and public announcement by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The project, now fully launched, will see the University collaborating as a key partner in the newly funded Centre for Forest Protection (CFP).

Backed by DEFRA funding, the CFP is a strategic, science-led response to the increasing threats posed by pests, diseases, and climate change to the UK’s forests. The Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) at the University of Birmingham joins a national coalition of academic, research, and governmental organisations working together to deliver evidence-based solutions for the health and resilience of woodland ecosystems.

As part of the University’s contribution to the CFP, researchers are directly supporting three research projects:

1. Complex Yew Decline — an investigation into the unexplained deterioration of Taxus baccata (yew) populations in the UK. The project is funding Geoff Monck, a postgraduate researcher supervised by Professor Rob Jackson and Professor James McDonald, in collaboration with Forest Research and Myerscough College.

1. REWARD, Remote Early Warning and Advanced Response for Diseases – the development of a new National Monitoring System for the early detection of forest pathogens in UK trees. The project includes Dr Diana Vinchira-Villarraga and Professor Rob Jackson in BIFoR collaborating with Forest Research, Swansea University and the University of Edinburgh.

1. Speed breeding technologies for UK broadleaved trees – testing whether maturation and flowering of three UK tree species (Silver Birch, European Ash and English Oak) can be accelerated using artificial growth conditions, a potential tool for future tree breeding programs to enhance disease resistance and climate change adaptation. The project includes Dr Graeme Kettles and Dr Andrew Plackett in BIFoR working with Professor Richard Buggs at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Dr Abigail Johnson at Niab.

The CFP will harness cutting-edge research and innovation to inform policy and management practices, ensuring the UK’s natural woodlands are preserved for generations to come.