News

Researchers have been able to extract quantitative data on tree distributions from historical maps for the first time in Leeds and Edinburgh. These important new data are the result of new techniques, applying machine learning (ML) to help us understand more about how our cities have changed over time. The research was published this week...

A project to protect the world’s second largest area of tropical rainforest has received £9.1m from the Government. The grant which is administered by the University of Leeds will be used to investigate the value and vulnerability of the Congo Basin and translate this new knowledge into policy action to protect forests, improve livelihoods, and...

Up to two thirds of the world’s temperate rainforests could fall victim to climate change by the year 2100 according to a new study by researchers at the University of Leeds. In the first ever worldwide assessment of the impacts of global overheating on these rare ecosystems, scientists used maps of tree cover, forest condition,...

Pine martens have been reintroduced into woodland in South Cumbria thanks to a project involving researchers from the University of Leeds. The elusive forest dwellers were once widespread in the county, but their numbers gradually reduced over time, and it was assumed that they had disappeared altogether until a rare sighting in 2022 – the...

Five years of funding, with an option to extend by a further five-year period, have been made available by the British Ecological Society to support long-term research at Gair Wood. Currently, around 13% of the UK is woodland and the UK’s Climate Change Committee recommend increasing this coverage to 17-19% to support reaching a target...

Emmerdale cast and crew members have joined forces with the University of Leeds to ensure a vital ecological corridor continues to flourish. Gair Wood is a University-owned site near Bramhope where more than 60,000 trees were planted last year to enhance the local environment and provide a valuable resource for research and teaching. Actors and production...

UK uplands could naturally establish new woodlands in areas where sheep are removed. Research from the Wild Ingleborough project, in the Yorkshire Dales, highlights the potential for ‘natural colonisation’ as an alternative technique to traditional tree planting.  In the UK, uplands are often open landscapes with few trees or wooded areas. However, pollen records show...

Guest blog by Surbhi Thakur, Gair Wood Student Sustainability Architect This winter season, I finally had the chance to visit Gair Wood, the University of Leeds' ambitious tree-planting project I had been hearing so much about. Unlike many others though, I was not there for the initial planting drive. My visit came almost a year...

Large areas of forest around the world have been heavily degraded by logging, fire and hunting. Restoring degraded forests helps to slow climate change, reduces flooding and provides a home for threatened wildlife. Stronger action to restore forests is urgently needed for the benefit of people, nature and our climate. Stopping forest degradation and starting...

Since completing a successful pre-planting survey last summer at the University's new research woodland, Gair Wood, Alana Thornton has returned to the site this year for a master's research project. Over two months, Alana recorded the diversity of birds and invertebrates at Gair Wood in the first summer since the woodland was planted. Alana's research...