Connected Treescapes

What we discovered...

Treescapes are vital connectors for heritage, health and wellbeing, and biodiversity; these and other benefits can be promoted in policy and incentivisation.

• Local treescapes play a significant role in community identity. Communities want this reflected in policies and decisions made about their treescapes.
• Policymakers and planners should prioritise nature connectedness and accessibility to promote health, wellbeing, and pro-nature behaviours.
• We developed a holistic treescape typology, going beyond traditional woodland definitions by including individual trees, hedges and plantations.
• Findings show that previous increases in woodland cover have not led to a rise in invertebrates, suggesting that enhancing connectivity and woodland quality are more beneficial for biodiversity than simply expanding woodland cover, especially in areas with fewer existing woodlands.
• We created an online decision-making toolkit with stakeholders to optimise investment and risk management. Using ecological-economic models, these tools help allocate resources for the best mix of tree species to optimise benefits such as carbon storage, timber and health.
• Instruments such as agglomeration incentives and cost-sharing insurance support landowner collaboration in planting treescapes, protecting them from the risks of climate change and tree diseases.