The Royal Forestry Society (RFS) is launching a flagship programme, Conifers for Colleges, to involve forestry students in research into the species which will ensure a healthy UK timber industry in the future.
Moulton College in Northamptonshire and Myerscough College in Preston are the first to confirm trial plots with planting planned for the autumn.
Up to five colleges will be involved during Year One, with more joining in subsequent years.
RFS education manager, Phil Tanner (pictured), said: "Students will be involved in planting and monitoring the trees annually, and in developing a variety of research projects and making the information freely available on the SilviFuture database so that woodland owners and managers across the UK will be able to access the information to see what trees might be compatible with their growing conditions.
"The project is providing a unique opportunity for the students to get first-hand knowledge of species about which many within the current forestry industry know very little – and it will mean they will be exceptionally well placed when they qualify to help ensure the UK’s timber industry flourishes.
"The RFS will also be publishing the research data and we are keen for more nurseries and others within the industry to get involved in this exciting opportunity to help shape our commercial woodlands for the future."
Conifers for Colleges recognises that conifers are vital to the UK’s forestry and timber industries and that the challenges caused by climate change, pests and diseases mean UK timber growers may no longer be able to rely on the traditional big five coniferous timber species – Sitka Spruce, Corsican Pine, Scots Pine, Douglas-fir and Larch – which currently make up around 88 per cent of home grown timber.
Foresters of the future will need to know about a wider mix of species and where they are likely to grow best.
Each trial plot will include 400 conifers – a mix of traditional and novel species – and 100 broadleaf seedlings.
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