Richard Whittet

Forest Research - Forestry Commission UK

Genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity play a role in determining the performance of a tree provenance at a planting site. This paper explores their relative importance in determining growth, phenology and tree form in a broad geographic sample of 42 British provenances of common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) grown at two contrasting trial sites...

Field trials containing 8–10 sycamore seed sources were established on ‘farm woodland’ sites in 1992 to identify the most productive and adapted seed sources for use in lowland Great Britain. Early results from these trials found little difference among provenances for growth traits. To guide the next steps of sycamore improvement in the British Is...

Climate change and the increasing prevalence of pests and diseases are generating considerable uncertainty regarding the seed origin of planting stock for new woodland establishment in England. The assumption that locally sourced material provides the most appropriate option is increasingly being called into question because the environment to whic...

The ability of a population to genetically adapt to a changing environment is contingent not only on the level of existing genetic variation within that population, but also on the gene flow received from differently adapted populations. Effective pollen-mediated gene flow among plant populations requires synchrony of flowering. Therefore differenc...

In recent years, numerous articles have addressed management strategies aimed at assisting forests to adapt to climate change. However, these seldom take into account the practical and economic implications of implementing these strategies, notably, supply of forest plants and seed. Using semi-structured interviews with practitioners involved in th...

As climate change intensifies, the fate of many of the world’s forests is becoming a major concern. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) member states have committed to the goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, which will involve the planting of 3 billion additional trees by 2030. This challenge can only be met by robust and e...

Elevated concentrations of total mercury (THg) are found in the surface soils and flanking wetland sediments at the Classic Maya coastal site of Marco Gonzalez, Belize. Significant concentrations (up to 1.3 µg·g−1 dry mass) of THg occur in leaf litter‐rich soils, as well as in the artefact‐rich anthrosol spread over the vegetated mound site of stru...

Current and emerging threats to trees and forest ecosystems require a re-evaluation of the way forest genetic resources are managed. Governments in the United Kingdom and elsewhere are committed to the restoration, expansion and creation of new woodlands. Tree populations are often adaptively differentiated from one another, so a key question under...

Poster is based on Whittet et al., 2016, Land Use Policy: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306240450_Supplying_trees_in_an_era_of_environmental_uncertainty_Identifying_challenges_faced_by_the_forest_nursery_sector_in_Great_Britain?_iepl%5BviewId%5D=0FE1d2HmyH3CKtTLm0nlEAp4D83BnnbfTzjH&_iepl%5Bcontexts%5D%5B0%5D=prfhpi&_iepl%5Bdata%5D%5Bstan...

Marco Gonzalez is one of a number of Maya sites on Belize’s coast and cayes (coral islands) that exhibit anomalous vegetation and dark-coloured soils. Like Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs), the soils are sought locally for cultivation and are underlain by anthropogenic deposits. Our research is aimed at assessing the role of the anthro- pogenic deposit...

In recent years, British seed sourcing practice has tended to focus on the principle that 'local-is-best' for native woodland creation. However, in the face of continuing and accelerating environmental change, the suitability of this approach has been called into question. In this article, we investigate the relevance and suitability of a series of...

Research at the Maya archaeological site of Marco Gonzalez on Ambergris Caye in Belize is socio-ecological because human activities have been a factor in the formation and fluctuation of the local marine and terrestrial environments over time. The site is one of many on Belize's coast and cayes that exhibit anomalous vegetation and dark-coloured so...

Following intensive human land use over millennia, European forest ecosystems record among the largest values of deforestation globally. This puts a premium on European ancient woodland, which has existed in the landscape minimally over several centuries. Ancient woodland in the UK was quantified in the Ancient Woodland Inventory (AWI). In cross-ch...