The Forest Ecology Group is excited to announce our sponsored events and meetings for 2015.
Booking will open for these on the official BES website shortly, but in the meantime, clear your diary for these dates…on 17th April you’ll have to choose between Oxford and Liverpool.
PiedFly.Net 2015 annual meeting
Date: 21st March
PiedFly.Net is a citizen science project monitoring woodland birds and woodland phenology, with data collected feeding into several science projects including the BTO Nest Record Scheme, Natures Calendar, Track a Tree and university based research across Europe. It is run by myself in a voluntary capacity although it is closely related to my work as a research scientist with the RSPB and University of Exeter. Please see http://www.piedfly.net for more about the network. Each year the network has an annual one day meeting prior to the breeding season, the only occasion when all the citizen scientist monitors involved, from right across SW England, come together. The meeting includes 3-4 talks including one from a visiting guest speaker. Previous guest speakers have been Carl Barimore (BTO, Nest Record Scheme Organiser), John Mallord (RSPB, Wood warbler project), Chris Hewson (BTO, tracking Afro-Palaearctic migrants) and Ken Smith (long term research on Great spotted woodpeckers).
Location: Woodah Farm, Devon Wildlife Trust Centre, Devon
Organizer: Malcolm Burgess, Exeter University
1st Annual Forest Invertebrate Meeting: Current Research and Future Challenges
Date: 16th April
his workshop will provide a forum for researchers and stakeholders in the field of forest ecology to meet and to discuss current research and policy specifically related to forest invertebrates, including their management (e.g. pest species) and conservation within sustainable forest management. The target audience is academics, postg raduate students, practitioners and other stakeholders in the field of forest ecology, specialising in invertebrates. The audience size planned for this initial meeting is 25, though there is no upper limit. This one day meeting will include eight conference style research or relevant stakeholder talks, a small informal poster session during the lunch break and a round table discussion session to determine future directions for the new Forest Invertebrate Group, including date and format of the next meeting. There will be a small registration fee of £15 to associated costs (e.g. lunch, refreshments, venue). Attendees will meet their own travel and accommodation costs. Accommodation is available at the Edge Hill campus for participants (www.edgehill.ac.uk/conferences). The University has free parking and is a short distance (15 min. walk) from Ormskirk Station (http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/location).
This conference received funding from the British Ecological Society and is supported within the Forest Ecology Group and the ‘Forest Insects and their Allies’ special interest group within the Royal Entomological Society.
Location: Edge Hill University, Lancashire.
Organizer: Anne Oxbrough
Linking ecological research across Wytham Woods
Date: 17th April
Within Wytham Woods ca. 50 ecological research projects, involving several universities, are currently running. Opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-exchange are clear across this pool of Wytham scientists, yet such relationships can be slow to develop unless a suitable forum for collective discussions is provided. Our meeting will address this by bringing together all ecological scientists involved in Wytham research to determine how we can best learn from each other’s work
Location: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford
Organizer: Alan Jones, Earthwatch
Keynote speaker: Hans Cornelissen, University of Amsterdam
Fire ecology as an emerging discipline
Date: 17th April
The meeting intends to gather scientists spread within the UK/Europe that focus their research of the effects of fire over forests and other fire prone systems (grasslands, woodlands, savannas). We aim to include any aspects of forest ecology (soil, water, vegetation, fauna)
Location: University of Liverpool
Organizers: Imma Oliveras and Kate Parr, University of Liverpool
Woodland ecology and management workshop
Date: 20th June
A one-day workshop in Woodland Ecology and Management to be held in the surroundings of Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire by the University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education. The workshop offers a firm intellectual base from which participants can further their engagement in woodland ecology, or implement woodland management plans. It will appeal to a broad range of participants, including professionals in ecology and environmental management, woodland owners/managers including small woodland owners, students, charities and community groups.
Set in Wytham Woods, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to explore woodland ecology and management in one of the world’s most widely researched areas of woodland.
Further information and how to register are available at www.conted.ox.ac.uk/woodland, alternatively contact us on 01865 286952 or envman@conted.ox.ac.uk.
Student and charity rates are also available, please see our website for full details.
Location: John Krebs Field Station, Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire.
Organizer: Jocelyne Hughes, Department of Continuing Education, Oxford University
Tutors: Dr Keith Kirby (former advisor to Natural England) and Mr Nigel Fisher (conservator of Wytham Woods)
The ecology of wood pasture and parkland
Date: October (TBC)
Wood pasture and parkland is an overlooked habitat, particularly in the uplands of England. The dead and decaying wood within the veteran trees found within these sites supports unique species found nowhere else. This field meeting will visit two wood pasture sites where management through the higher level stewardship scheme aims to improve their condition.
Location: Glenamara and Glencoyn National Trust upland wood pasture sites.
Organizer: Suzanne Perry, Natural England
Involving woodland owners in forest research
Date: July (TBC)
myForest, an initiative of the Sylva Foundation, allows owners to map their woodlands and complete inventories, with a view to compiling a management plan. Sylva will run a one day workshop to investigate ways in which the myForest network could also collect forest ecology data, and how local schools could use woodlands for ecology education and assist with research.
Location: Sylva Trust, Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire
Organizer: Gabriel Hemery, Sylva Trust
Waxcap fungi as indicators of ancient grasslands and wood pastures
Date: October (TBC)
National cross-disciplinary workshops & field visit to take forward issues and ideas raised at the 2014 symposium. Links to issues arising from on-going research into ancient woodland and wood pasture indicator species.
Location: Sheffield Hallam University
Organizer: Ian Rotherham, Sheffield Hallam University
Treasures of Transylvania – Policy Event
Date: November (TBC)
The Pogány-havas Association has modest funding to set up a tree hunt initiative to find and record special trees and wood pastures in Romania. One of the objectives is to raise awareness and improve protection of ancient trees and wood pastures. Wood pastures with ancient trees are among the most biodiverse habitats and host some very rare species but aren’t properly recognized and protected in Europe. As part of the project the Pogány-havas Association will organise a seminar in the European parliament in autumn 2015, involving MEPs, MPs and other speakers from the countries with the best surviving wood pastures: UK, Romania, Spain and Sweden. The Pogány-havas Association might also visit the relevant Directorates in the European Commission.
Location: European Parliament, Brussels
Organizer: Barbara Knowles, Society of Biology
BES Forest Ecology Group 