The Forestry Commission’s Tree roots and archaeology project is a very welcome development and a crucial step in addressing the complexities surrounding land use, especially considering the government’s ambitious and legally binding tree planting targets for increased carbon sequestration. Made possible thanks to funding from the Nature for Climate Fund, the project sets out to collate and objectively review the existing evidence and industry knowledge to advance our understanding of the interactions between tree roots and archaeological remains. It will produce a report, evaluative framework, and the design of a fieldwork project to apply the findings. These outputs will provide a valuable new resource to inform decisions about tree planting schemes where heritage assets are present, at a time when the woodland creation rate is increasing. The success of the project will depend, among other factors, on archaeology and forestry professionals sharing their knowledge and expertise with us. We would love it if you got in touch with us with your experiences and suggestions (see details below).
As reflected in the ongoing policy debates surrounding climate and nature restoration policy, the actions required to facilitate nature recovery and counter the effects of climate change are profound and extensive. Land is limited and the demands that are posed on it by society’s needs are many. But the level of land use change[1] (not to mention landscape change!) required by tree planting targets to help mitigate the impact of climate change adds complexity to an already incredibly sensitive topic.
The seven pillars of the UK Forestry Standard -biodiversity, climate change, historic environment, landscape, people, soil, and water- ensure that forestry delivers other benefits to society and it is therefore important that the evidence on which decisions are made is comprehensive and up to date. Increased levels of tree planting raise the challenge of how to balance more trees with protecting and preserving monuments, landscapes and archaeological features that compose our historic environment. Tree roots, changes in the chemical composition of the soil, water levels, and forestry operations can all have an impact. Tree roots and archaeology will support the Forestry Commission and forestry professionals in navigating these challenges moving forward by developing a framework for understanding the sensitivity of different types of archaeological sites to the environmental changes brought about by trees.
[1] According to the Climate Change Committee’s report Land use: Policies for A Net Zero UK, the UK needs to plant 30,000 hectares of new trees every year in the run up to 2050 and increase beyond that. This requires over 20% of agricultural land to be used for tree planting (https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/land-use-policies-for-a-net-zero-uk/).