Plantation management for landscapes in Britain

Plantation forestry has been a major influence on the landscape of Britain over the last 80 years, following the gradual decline in woodland cover over the preceding millennia. The new forest landscapes were originally very different from those that went before, being primarily planted using non-native conifers, mostly of the same age, laid out in geometric plantations. Concerns about their negative impact on the landscape led foresters to develop new approaches to laying out plantation forests. The opportunity to redesign existing forests has arisen as they reach felling age and an ambitious programme of restructuring is in progress. The principles and techniques of forest landscape design are now well understood and well established in Britain.