Forest Research Seeks Study on Public Perceptions of Commercial Plantations

Forest Research (FR) is the research agency of the Forestry Commission (FC) and Great Britain's principal organisation for forestry and tree-related research. Forest Research is internationally renowned for the provision of science, research, evidence, data and services in support of sustainable forestry.

FR is divided into numerous Science Groups, each of which oversees research being undertaken by the agency in specific fields. The Society and Environment Research Group (SERG) is the agency's social science division.

SERG provides world-leading and cutting edge research into every aspect of how people in Britain interact with trees and woodlands, including biosecurity behaviours, land management practices, the drivers and barriers to woodland creation, and interactions between humans and wildlife in forests. One of the agency's core Programmes - led by SERG - has been to explore the Societal benefits of trees, woods, and forests.

SERG has published a wide range of evidence regarding perspectives on, and experiences of British treescapes, including pioneering longitudinal polling that tracks public opinions on forests, and how forests are accessed . However, dedicated work on how these sentiments differ with regard to commercial plantations - as opposed to natural, or semi-natural woodland - has not yet been undertaken.

It is also unclear how preferences regarding the look and feel of a landscape - something that different styles of forest management can influence substantially - might in turn foster more positive attitudes and behaviour.