ADD-TREES and NetZeroPlus host joint workshop to co-develop decision support tools for woodland planting schemes
To kick start our 2024 actitvies, Amy Binner and Daniel Williamson, with members of the ADD-TREES and NetZeroPlus research project teams, hosted a 1-day workshop at the University of Exeter.
The workshop provided an opportunity to bring together our core project partners from across the public, private and third sectors to work with the research team on the development of tools and ‘apps’ to help guide the planting of trees across the UK, in support of UK net zero commitments.
The team welcomed experts from organisations including DEFRA – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – British Army, Network Rail, National Forest Company & eftec.
The group has met twice before – in April 2023 and October 2022 – with the goal of ensuring stakeholder requirements are incorporated into the research design at every stage, co-designing the projects’ decision support tools to meet the needs of stakeholders and users, and advising on how the researchers can make the tools and other outputs visible and readily accessible to the stakeholder community, particularly within individual partner organisations.
Demonstrating Prototype Tools
At this workshop, the team were delighted to be able to demonstrate our prototype tree planting decision support tool. Each participant was able to spend time using the prototype tool in a hands-on experience, and invited to feedback on the functionality, presentation, user-friendliness, and the accessibility of how alternatives & risks were presented in each tool.
Several features of the current prototype version of the decision support tool were praised as having high potential for future spatial analysis, particularly as they allow the comparison of multiple feasible scenarios.
Testing the Digital Twin Generator App
The group had also the opportunity to try the new Digital Twin generator app developed within the ADD-Trees project. An app that allows users to select the areas of land that they might like to plant trees on, and supports them to develop a personalised tool based on the priorities of their organisation or specific land holding. The group’s feedback was especially positive, describing the app as intuitive, user-friendly, and flexible.
Co-design of Decision Support
Dr Amy Binner, who led the workshop, said:
“We are exceptionally lucky to have developed the close working relationship with our core partners in this way. Being able to spend dedicated time together to work in close partnership, co-designing tools and toolkits and exchanging knowledge is invaluable. The research team benefits from the vast expertise and insights of those working on tree-planting schemes on the ground, and our core partners tell us that they learn so much from working with our researchers, and hearing from other partners facing similar challenges to them.”
Professor Williamson added: “The workshop gave us such rich feedback to guide our work in coming months. Hearing how the tools can shape decisions about where to plant trees and will help organisations understand the multiple benefits of doing so, is inspiring. Our ultimate goal is to help take action against the climate emergency and ecological crisis, and decisions taken now about tree planting can do exactly that.”
We would like to thank those who attended the workshop for their engagement with the project and all of the invaluable feedback to guide further development of the tools. Dr Binner and Professor Williamson are looking forward to the next in person meeting of the group later this year.
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