AESME Lot 5: Testing agri-environment grant delivery of woodland management for biodiversity

During 2009-2014, the East Midlands Woodland Biodiversity Project resulted in high uptake of EWGS grants towards a 5 year management plan aimed at diversifying woodland structure for woodland birds. Baseline monitoring of woodland structure and bird populations was carried out in a sample of 64 sites prior to management taking place. This project aims to repeat the bird surveys and woodland structure measures carried out in the baseline surveys over one breeding season (2019) to test whether the intended benefits for birds are delivered in the short term from 2-8 years after management. Specifically:

1. Does grant funded woodland management lead to the intended changes in tree canopy cover and understorey density, and increased populations of woodland specialist birds?
2. Are the bird population responses found those expected from the observed vegetation changes?

Additional information:

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