Forests of the future: ecosystem services in a forest landscape facing significant changes
type: CreativeWork
description: The natural environment provides a range of benefits to people via ecosystem services. Different types of land management deliver different combinations and amounts of ecosystem services. Traditionally, many landscapes were managed to maximise the delivery of just a few benefits, such as food or timber, but this was often at the expense of other potential benefits, such as carbon sequestration or water supply. The ecosystem services approach aims to improve land management by explicitly recognising and quantifying the full range of benefits, acknowledging that all ecosystem services contribute to human wellbeing. However, despite there being much research, there is as yet limited practical application. This PhD thesis explores ecosystem service delivery in an applied forestry context, using Thetford Forest (East Anglia, UK) as a case study with the aim of generating practical recommendations for future management. As part of the UK Public Forest Estate, the delivery of a wide range of public benefits is today a central objective of forest management. However, the forest is currently facing significant changes in response to a range of issues such as climate change and disease. I quantified the delivery of a comprehensive suite of ecosystem services for a wide range of realistic management options for the Thetford Forest landscape. Working in collaboration with the Forestry Commission (managers of Thetford Forest and my CASE partner), I tailored my research to include all the management options that are under consideration for the future of the forest. I systematically quantified how these different management options deliver nine ecosystem services: timber, carbon, deer (for game but also a management problem), water supply, soil quality, recreation, wildlife, scenic beauty and tranquillity, heritage and educational value. I conducted an in-depth analysis for each ecosystem service, using a combination of novel methodologies and adaptations of existing techniques. I…
abstract: The natural environment provides a range of benefits to people via ecosystem services. Different types of land management deliver different combinations and amounts of ecosystem services. Traditionally, many landscapes were managed to maximise the delivery of just a few benefits, such as food or timber, but this was often at the expense of other potential benefits, such as carbon sequestration or water supply. The ecosystem services approach aims to improve land management by explicitly recognising and quantifying the full range of benefits, acknowledging that all ecosystem services contribute to human wellbeing. However, despite there being much research, there is as yet limited practical application. This PhD thesis explores ecosystem service delivery in an applied forestry context, using Thetford Forest (East Anglia, UK) as a case study with the aim of generating practical recommendations for future management. As part of the UK Public Forest Estate, the delivery of a wide range of public benefits is today a central objective of forest management. However, the forest is currently facing significant changes in response to a range of issues such as climate change and disease. I quantified the delivery of a comprehensive suite of ecosystem services for a wide range of realistic management options for the Thetford Forest landscape. Working in collaboration with the Forestry Commission (managers of Thetford Forest and my CASE partner), I tailored my research to include all the management options that are under consideration for the future of the forest. I systematically quantified how these different management options deliver nine ecosystem services: timber, carbon, deer (for game but also a management problem), water supply, soil quality, recreation, wildlife, scenic beauty and tranquillity, heritage and educational value. I conducted an in-depth analysis for each ecosystem service, using a combination of novel methodologies and adaptations of existing techniques. I…
author: Tew, Eleanor Rosemary
language: en
keywords: ecosystem services, forestry, forests, land management, timber, carbon, biodiversity, water, recreation, wildlife, scenic beauty, heritage, deer, conifers, broadleaves, conservation, cultural, Thetford Forest
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/57746196-4b94-478b-8a2a-e04bdd060ffc/download
license: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
date published: 2019-04-23
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:16Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.45285