CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS COULD BENEFIT MIDLANDS FORESTRY INDUSTRY

Action is needed now to minimise the impact of climate change, says a new report launched today (30 August) by the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

Action is needed now to minimise the impact of climate change, says a new report launched today (30 August) by the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

The report focuses on 21 large country estates across Europe, including four in the UK. It aims to obtain a more detailed understanding of climate change on these estates, identify ways of adapting to the changes, develop mitigation strategies and provide guidance for policymakers and stakeholders. 

"The report suggests that estates can help mitigate changes by producing biofuels and biomass, which is already beginning to happen in the West Midlands with several small and large-scale projects underway," points out Frances Beatty, CLA West Midlands Regional Director. "It also recommends the planting of more hardwood trees to store carbon and for construction timber, but underlines the need for EU and member states to formulate a coherent policy to encourage the practice.

"This emphasis is particularly welcome in the West Midlands where the forestry industry has been in terminal decline. If the right mechanisms for its renewal can be put in place, it would help pump prime this once buoyant industry - notably in the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and all through the Welsh Marches. Besides mitigating climate change, this would help provide additional rural employment and regenerate the landscape in counties that have already been categorised by the EU as deprived areas."

Co-author of the report, Dr David Viner, senior climate scientist at the University of East Anglia, said: "We are already seeing the impacts of climate change on all of the estates we examined and our models show that this is just the beginning.

"Hotter summers, increased droughts and sporadic, heavy rainfall have huge implications for agriculture. Sea level rise remains a major threat in many areas, as does an increased risk of forest fires, as we have already seen this summer. We can expect species to move northwards with the loss of many native plant and animal species, and we can also expect a continuing increase in pests affecting animals, people and trees.

"With summer droughts likely to become longer and more frequent, there are also fears for the Mediterranean diet, due to the effects of prolonged droughts on both olive trees and grapevine production."

The reports' authors warn that adaptation is not going to be easy and say that policy needs to be in place to encourage ways of mitigating the likely effects.

Co-author, Michael Sayer, of the CLA, said: "Our climate is warming faster than previously thought and the impact on agriculture and forestry has been understated. Landowners are taking this seriously, but the EU urgently needs to produce a coherent policy. We should be encouraging landowners to produce biofuels and to enhance carbon stocks by planting more hardwood trees, which can be used as alternative construction material. Currently, infrastructure for processing biofuels is not in place and the price of timber is uneconomic."

David Fursdon, President of the CLA, said: "Country estates and land managers are responsible for the stewardship of much of our countryside and we are already committed to Carbon Aware Land Management (CALM), enabling farms and estates to do their own carbon accounts. Land managers need the support and guidance to make much-needed changes to their techniques and work – as this report shows, they need it soon."

David Milliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs offered his support for the report. "Climate change is a critical matter facing all of us today. Land managers truly have a unique role in combating climate change because they offer the possibilities of storing carbon in soil and trees and in supplying carbon-saving renewable energy and building materials. I am therefore delighted that the Country Land and Business Association and the University of East Anglia have engaged with other organisations to conduct this study. It is an important initiative and the report contains a great deal of detailed information at ground level," he said.

Case studies

Holkham, Norfolk: Home to one of the first English agriculturalists, Thomas Coke, Earl of Leicester (1752-1842), who introduced wheat cultivation to the area. Future cereal production at Holkham is threatened by spring droughts, so the estate has constructed a winter-storage reservoir. As a coastal estate, Holkham is also at risk of sea level rise. A tidal surge on the scale of 1953 would by 2080 surround Holkham Hall on three sides. The estate is successfully protecting eroded dune faces and encouraging dune stabilisation by marram grass and pines. Its owner, Viscount Coke, has set a target for reducing CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels by 25%.

Size:  10,189 hectares.

Uses:  Agriculture, forestry and woodland, sporting, tourism and leisure.

Projected temperature rise for Holkham by 2080: 3.6°C

Temperature: Observed decadal average annual temperature rise: 0.7°C

Precipitation:  Annual average 6% higher 1991-2000 than1961-1990 average – but reductions during February to June and increases during October and November.

Rushmore, Wiltshire:  Since the 18^th century, Rushmore estate has belonged to the Pitt-Rivers family. Much of the present character of the estate, however, is related to the creativeness and conservation efforts of Lt General Augustus Henry Pitt-Rivers, who inherited the estate in 1880. The estate boasts a deer park; an ornamental park; beech avenues; re-created grasslands; and forests. Future changes in land use from arable to grassland and forest and the growing of biofuel and biomass crops have the potential to mitigate climate change. 

Size:  2,778 hectares

Uses:  Farming, forestry, sporting (golf and game), leisure and conservation.

Projected temperature rise for Rushmore by 2080: 3.4°C

Temperature: Observed decadal average annual temperature rise: 0.50°C

Precipitation: Observed change in the mean precipitation over the last decade - an extra 88.36mm have fallen.

Windsor, Berkshire: The Windsor estate is owned and managed by the Crown Estate, an organisation that is governed by The Crown Estate Act of 1961. The Windsor estate itself receives on average 2 million visitors per year. The Estate consists of: a deer park; two major gardens; rural and forestry activities; a racecourse; and two golf courses.  A series of reservoirs, named Ponds, collect rain water from numerous catchment areas on the estate. These provide the water needed for irrigation whilst maintaining good levels for reducing risk of drought. The pond also provide on the estate's main areas of biodiversity. Extensive reed bed restoration and structural maintenance has seen an increase in associated bird biodiversity and clear water for fishing, whilst maintaining the estate's vital leisure use. 

Size:  6,300 hectares

Uses:  Tourism, rural and forestry activities, leisure (fishing, golf, walking)

Projected temperature rise for Windsor by 2080: 3.6°C

Temperature: Observed decadal increase in average annual temperature 0.59°C

Precipitation:  Average precipitation levels show a slight increase of 7.47mm (1991-2005) with the 1961-1990 average.

Couvet, Switzerland:  Couvet's carefully managed forest, with mixed species of different ages, enhances stability and resilience against gale damage and pests, both of which are on the increase thanks to climate change. But a long-term decline in timber prices has seen revenue fall below costs for the estate in four years between 1992 and 2000.

Size: 180 hectares

Uses:  Forestry and woodland, sporting, tourism and leisure.

Projected temperature rise for Couvet by 2080: 5.3°C.

Temperature:  Average annual increase figures not available.

Precipitation: Annual average 1.7% higher 1991-2000 than 1961-1990 average, especially during October, but with decrease in June.

El Castaňar, Spain: Spain is at the forefront of fire and drought risk. 40,000 hectares of Spanish forests were affected by fire in 1989 and 1994 and the Spanish fire season is set to lengthen. 2004-05 season was the driest recorded in Spain since records began. El Castaňar has introduced more fire breaks in response. The Iberian peninsula and the Mediterranean region can expect the most severe droughts. There are concerns at the estate about the effects of drought on olive trees. Grapevine production is also likely to be adversely affected.

Size:  6,000 hectares

Uses:  Agriculture, forestry and woodland, sporting, tourism and leisure.

Projected temperature rise for El Castaňar by 2080: 8.5°C.

Temperature:  Increase in days over 30°C, especially May and June.

Precipitation: Decrease from June to August.

How estates can adapt to climate change or mitigate its effects

• Adopt Carbon Aware Land Management (CALM)
• Reduce emissions by energy efficiency and use of bio-fuels
• Manage woodland, optimising timber production and introducing a mixture of species to manage carbon sinks and stocks
• Convert set-aside land to bio-fuel and biomass crops
• Plant hardwood trees for use in construction, replacing brick or concrete
• Build reservoirs
• Replace trees with species suited to the site and climate
• Create fire breaks to reduce risk of forest fires
• Maintain year-round vegetation to reduce erosion risk
• Create headlands or manage dunes to keep out rising seas
• Economic diversification – from agriculture to tourism 

NOTES TO EDITOR:

• The full report is available at: www.cla.org.uk/Policy/Policy_Reports/Environment/Climate_Change/
• 21 estates are featured in the report. The others are: Windsor, Invercauld, Rushmere (UK), Cappoquin (Ireland), Blekhem (Sweden), Wehmaan Kartano (Finland), Hverringe (Denmark), Dobříš (Czech Republic), Het Loo (Belgium/Netherlands), Mautern (Austria), Oettingen, Reitzenstein (Germany), Le Corti, San Giuliano (Italy), Mivoisin, Tour du Valat (France), Veta la Palma (Spain), Herdade de Pinheiro (Portugal).
• The report was supported by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the European Landowners' Association. International property consultants Savills; the Crown Estate; Grant Thornton and Belleuropa provided additional funding.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

For further information or to arrange interviews, contact:

Frances Beatty, CLA West Midlands, Regional Director - Tel. 01785 284722, Mob. 07970 186506

Annie Ogden, UEA Press Office on 01603 592764 or Mel Capper at the CLA on 020 7235 0511

Issued by Julie Mate, Marketing Manager, CLA West Midlands, Knightley, Woodseaves, Staffordshire  ST20 0JW.  Tel. 01785 284722  Mob. 07790 365577 Email. julie.mate@cla.org.uk

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