A summary of each PhD and key findings is outlined below. For full information on the findings from each project (where available) a reference to the published study is provided.
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Optimising habitat creation for woodland birds: the relative importance of local vs landscape scales Dr Robin Whytock, 2014 - 2018 Now CEO and Founder of Okala
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Robbie used the WrEN project to study how birds respond to newly created woodlands on former agricultural land in Great Britain, using direct and indirect surveys to measure bird diversity, abundance, and vocal behaviour across woodland patches of different ages. Key findings included:
- Post-agricultural woodlands quickly become valuable for generalist bird species, with older patches supporting more individuals and species due to their more developed vegetation structure.
- Local, patch-level factors (particularly patch size and vegetation structure) were more influential than broader landscape factors in determining bird diversity and abundance (Whytock et al. 2017).
- For colonisation by migratory species (using Willow Warbler as a case study), large-scale habitat patterns at the kilometre scale mattered more than patch-level factors (Whytock et al. 2018).
- Surrounding land use also plays a role — high proportions of agricultural land at woodland edges increased perceived predation risk for Eurasian Wrens, making patches less attractive to potential colonisers (Whytock et al. 2020).
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Above and belowground ecological linages in temperate forest soils
Dr Olivia Azevedo, 2019 - 2024 Now a soil scientist at Forest Research
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Olivia examined the relationships between aboveground and belowground components of temperate forest ecosystems, focusing on how woodland creation and maturation affect soil health and ecosystem function. A chronosequence of woodland creation sites (20–160 years old) was compared to ancient woodland (250+ years) and adjacent pasture sites to investigate soil carbon storage, rhizosphere interactions, fine root morphology, microbial communities, earthworm populations, and soil physico-chemical properties. To date this work has shown that woodland sites store more soil organic carbon than neighbouring pastures, with old-growth forests showing a fourfold increase. Carbon levels in soil aggregates also vary with age, with woodlands aged 81–160 years showing higher carbon concentrations in microaggregates and finer soil particles (Azevedo et al. 2026). We are currently working on other manuscripts from this thesis and will be adding more information here soon.
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The effects of landscape context and climate on woodland use by bats: implications for habitat creation
Dr Eleri Kent, 2020 - 2025
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In this PhD Eleri investigated how landscape context and climate influence bat use of woodlands in the UK, using a combination of long-term population data, surveys across 60 landscapes in two regions, national-scale habitat suitability modelling, and analysis of population trends in lesser horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros). The overarching conclusion is that woodland creation will benefit at least part of the UK bat community regardless of landscape context, but concentrating new planting into fewer, larger patches is likely most beneficial for woodland specialist species. Sympathetic management and planting of trees outside woodland should also be promoted, given their importance for connectivity in agricultural landscapes. We are currently working on manuscripts from this thesis and will be adding more information here soon.
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The impacts of long-term woodland creation on invertebrate communities
Sam Rogerson, 2022 -
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Sam is using the WrEN project, and a related project Restoring Resilient Ecosystems to examine the responses of invertebrates to habitat restoration. Invertebrates make up the vast majority of life on Earth, playing vital roles in the ecosystems that sustain us all. Despite their ecological importance, there remains a fundamental gap in our understanding of what limits invertebrate community development following woodland creation. Recovery following habitat restoration is shaped by a complex web of interacting factors: how well species can colonise new areas, the legacy of historic land management, and the structure of existing food webs. The traits of individual species — their morphology, behaviour, life history and physiology — along with their degree of habitat specialisation, all influence which species from the wider regional pool are able to take hold. Sam’s first publication (Rogerson et al. 2025) used data on ground-dwelling beetles across 60 UK broadleaved woodlands, planted between 12 and 160 years ago, and found that:
- Larger woodlands supported greater beetle abundance and diversity
- Surrounding farmland suppressed colonisation — woodlands in more agricultural landscapes had fewer specialist species
- Lower tree density benefited woodland specialists, suggesting active management such as selective thinning is important
- Younger, more uniform woodlands tended to harbour more non-woodland species, indicating that community composition matures over time
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Assessing the impacts of woodland creation on Lyme disease hazard in the UK
Benjamin Miller, 2022 - 2026 (University of Liverpool)
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Woodland creation is expanding rapidly across the UK as part of climate and biodiversity strategies. While these habitats bring important environmental benefits, they may also affect the distribution of the tick Ixodes ricinus, which is a vector for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Using data from WrEN woodland sites, Ben's research investigates how newly created and restored woodlands shape tick distribution and abundance, and how this may affect Lyme disease hazard. By combining field surveys, camera trap data, and ecological modelling, he is examining how vegetation structure, ungulate host communities, and landscape connectivity influence tick populations and disease risk. This work aims to understand how woodland creation may alter Lyme disease hazard over time, and to provide evidence that supports land management decisions which maximise environmental benefits while minimising risks to human health.
Using data from WrEN woodland sites, Ben's research investigates how newly created and restored woodlands shape tick distribution and abundance, and how this may affect Lyme disease hazard. By combining field surveys, camera trap data, and ecological modelling, he is examining how vegetation structure, ungulate host communities, and landscape connectivity influence tick populations and disease risk. This work aims to understand how woodland creation may alter Lyme disease hazard over time, and to provide evidence that supports land management decisions which maximise environmental benefits while minimising risks to human health.
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The ecological function of trees outside woodland on the colonisation of woodland creation sites
Madeline Richards, 2023 -
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Maddy's PhD focuses on Trees Outside Woodlands (ToW) - these are hedges, individual trees and small groups of trees typically found in agricultural land. Such features are potentially used as corridors and stepping-stones for species that could colonise young woodlands and are generally considered to be of high biodiversity value. However, because they are relatively small features in the landscape, they have historically been difficult to map and quantify. Therefore, there is a lack of research about their conservation value on a landscape scale. Forest Research have recently used Earth Observation datasets to map these ToW features as part of a wider project. This PhD research will be using the ToW map in conjunction with data from the WrEN project to understand the extent to which ToW influence the colonisation of different species present in focal woodlands, and the mechanisms through which this occurs.
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Ecological predictors of virus communities and transmission patterns in wild rodents in restored and ancient woodlands
María José López Jara, 2023 - (University of Glasgow)
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María José’s research aims to identify the key woodland and landscape features that shape virus communities within wild rodent populations. Her project uses metagenomics and bioinformatics to investigate how woodland restoration efforts may influence the health of small mammal populations and the viruses they carry, including zoonotic pathogens with the potential to affect humans.
As part of this project, she has conducted non-lethal rodent trapping and sampling across WrEN sites that vary in age, structural complexity, and connectivity to identify the key ecological drivers of viral abundance and diversity in restored woodland ecosystems. Furthermore, by tracking individual animal movements and their infection status, her work also explores how demographic and seasonal factors drive virus transmission dynamics in different environmental contexts.
As part of this project, she has conducted non-lethal rodent trapping and sampling across WrEN sites that vary in age, structural complexity, and connectivity to identify the key ecological drivers of viral abundance and diversity in restored woodland ecosystems. Furthermore, by tracking individual animal movements and their infection status, her work also explores how demographic and seasonal factors drive virus transmission dynamics in different environmental contexts.
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Using ecoacoustics to assess the ecological and biodiversity value of woodland restoration
Ross Barnett, 2024 -
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Ross is using the WrEN project, and a related project Restoring Resilient Ecosystems to investigate changes in soundscapes as woodlands mature, the key drivers governing the nature of these soundscapes, and how these relate to biodiversity and reproductive behaviour.
Ecoacoustics is an emerging and fast evolving field that quantifies natural and anthropogenic sounds and how this relates to the surrounding environment. The acoustic environment or “soundscape” can be quantitatively described using indices aimed at characterising acoustic diversity in space and time through the incidence, abundance and features of sounds. Soundscapes may also provide insight into the complexities of breeding bird ecology – soundscape disturbance can make it harder to find a mate, and acoustically complex habitats may be indicative of increased levels of competition for nest space and food resources.
Ecoacoustics is an emerging and fast evolving field that quantifies natural and anthropogenic sounds and how this relates to the surrounding environment. The acoustic environment or “soundscape” can be quantitatively described using indices aimed at characterising acoustic diversity in space and time through the incidence, abundance and features of sounds. Soundscapes may also provide insight into the complexities of breeding bird ecology – soundscape disturbance can make it harder to find a mate, and acoustically complex habitats may be indicative of increased levels of competition for nest space and food resources.