Professor Julian Evans, Sustainability and beyond - with help from trees
Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series
Sustainability and beyond - with help from trees
One response to climate change is to increase tree planting to store carbon. Such afforestation will also help alleviate the nation’s huge dependence on imported timber: but are fast-growing, usually conifer, plantations themselves sustainable? This question was pioneered at Bangor in the late 1960s with funding from DFID’s predecessor, ODA. Since then five successive rotations of high-yielding pines in eSwatini (Swaziland) have been monitored and is believed to be world’s longest running experiment into plantation sustainability the compares crop after crop.
Results from the research has implications for all planted forests, including in Wales. Specifically, ‘How safe is it to rely on such forest crops?'
Trees and forests play many other roles to the benefit of society and the environment and are set to become an increasing element in all our futures.
Julian Evans OBE is an Honorary Fellow of Îá°®³Ô¹Ï (2017) and graduated at Bangor (BSc 1968; PhD 1972; DSc 1988). He is a Forestry Commissioner (2020-23) and chaired the Forestry Commission’s Expert Committee on Forest Science (2013-19). He was formerly Professor of Forestry at Imperial College (1997-2007) and the Forestry Commission’s Chief Research Officer (S) (1989-1997). His many publications include several books, and he was a principal editor of the Encyclopaedia on Forest Science.
This lecture will be given in English.
Refreshments will be available after the lecture.
