Forests and Woodlands Questionnaire Results

Thank you for completing the Forests and Woodlands Questionnaire. (The survey is now closed) I was overwhelmed by how many responses I got in just a few days! So it has taken me a little longer than I expected to go through the results. I am still analysing what it all means. I'm working with Dr Suzi Richer, Research Associate in Archaeology and Environment at the University of York, who is helping me respond to the questionnaire results. I've summarised some of the results below. Suzi recently published an article From Rackham to REVEALS: Reflections on palaeoecological approaches to Woodland and Trees . Her interest in cross-disciplinary approaches and integrating alternative perspectives into research has inspired this project. Suzi and I are intending to develop activities to further investigate people's relationships with woodlands in the UK, and we hope you will be involved. Your input in the questionnaire has given us our first evidence to inspire and develop the project, and we hope to stage workshops and events in various woodlands in the months to come. I will continue to update you as we progress. Results 238 people responded to the questionnaire. The distribution was wide, stretching from the furthest tip of Cornwall across to South London, from Worcestershire across the Midlands, to the Yorkshire coast and up to Fife in Scotland. There were a few from outside the UK too. I am still putting together a map of all the places... if I ever get to finish it I will share it! The first question asked for people's first thought when they think of forests or woodlands. A significant number, 25% of respondents, used words such as "peace", "tranquility", "silence", with a further 10% using words like "calm", "relaxing", "slowing down". An additional 4% said "freedom", "escape", "liberating", and another 4% wrote "breathing", "clean air", "fresh air". These were by far the gist of most responses, associating woodlands with leisure and escapism from "modern" life. Not a surprising result. Nobody mentioned woodlands as worked or managed (apart from one response of "work"), although a majority of woodlands need to be managed. In more ancient times, woodlands in the UK would have been hives of industry and activity, so this shows how much our perception and use of woodlands has changed. Hence the question asking if your occupation involves you with woodlands. 29% replied that their occupation associated them with woodlands, which is quite a significant number. However it's likely that our survey is biased and would have attracted more people associated with woodlands through work than the national percentage. Respondents seemed to come from a variety of both rural and urban areas, with 70% saying that they visit woodlands regularly, listing woodlands of varying sizes and age, from small local copses to significant managed forests. I found it interesting that the question about cultural references to woodlands, whilst generating a very wide range of responses, also had a significant cluster giving similar responses. 19% mentioned Robin Hood or Robin of Sherwood; 11% mentioned Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit or the Ents; 5% a Midsummer Nights Dream. There were a number of other fantasy or fairy stories (Red Riding Hood, Narnia, Enid Blyton's Enchanted Forest and more) that connects with our sense of fairy tales associated with woodlands. I thought Robin Hood was interesting as the most common response. It's a story with many levels, including ideas about hiding and living out in the woods as an outlaw. Does this connect with our idea of woodlands as wild places, dangerous places, disconnected from the everyday town dweller? Or as a place of freedom? If you want to read all the responses, you can see a spreadsheet of them at this link. I have removed any emails that were supplied. You could certainly compile a great reading list or playlist from the suggestions! Thanks again for taking part, and I hope you will stay subscribed so that I can bring you more updates of the project as it progresses. In the meantime, feel free to send any comments - all thoughts and responses welcome!

Errol Flynn, The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938

This post was originally posted as a newsletter on 18 March 2017 by Jo Dacombe.