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| Preface | |
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| Acknowledgements | |
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| Metric equivalents | |
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| Introduction: Forest basics | |
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| Characteristics of woodlands and forests | |
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| The value of woodlands and forests | |
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| Tree biology and how it influences woodland ecology | |
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| Spatial structure | |
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| The woodland ecosystem: food chains, food webs and the plant, animal and decomposition subsystems | |
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| Forest types and classification | |
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| Regional classifications of forests and woodlands | |
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| Forest soils, climate and zonation | |
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| Soils and trees | |
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| Features of forest soils | |
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| Roots, foraging and competition | |
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| Forest zonation and site quality | |
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| Rain forests: climate, soils and variation | |
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| Primary production and forest development | |
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| Plant life forms and biological spectra | |
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| Light and shade | |
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| Water | |
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| Temperature and pollutant influences on tree growth | |
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| Altitudinal zonation and timberlines | |
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| Evergreen and deciduous strategies: aspects of competitive advantage | |
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| Contrasts between three widespread tree genera: the pines, beeches and oaks | |
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| Ecology and significance of ageing trees | |
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| Reproductive strategies of forest plants | |
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| Plant strategies | |
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| Regenerative strategies and vegetative spread | |
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| Reproduction and fruiting | |
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| Masting | |
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| Roles and influences of animals | |
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| Time constraints | |
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| Biotic interactions | |
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| Producers and consumers | |
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| The interdependence of producers and consumers | |
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| Insect defoliation and damage | |
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| Forest fungi | |
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| Specialized heterotrophs: epiphytes, parasites and saprotrophs | |
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| Exotic plants | |
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| Herbivorous mammals and birds | |
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| The impact of woodland carnivores and omnivores | |
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| Herbivores and the Holocene: did the lowland European forest have a closed canopy? | |
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| Biodiversity in woodlands | |
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| Genetic variation in populations and its implications | |
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| Selection pressures and biodiversity | |
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| Biodiversity at organism, population and habitat levels | |
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| Changes in species diversity over time | |
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| What allows species to co-exist in a woodland? | |
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| Conservation, biodiversity, population integrity and uniqueness | |
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| Decomposition and renewal | |
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| The vital key to a working forest | |
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| Decomposition | |
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| Degradative stages | |
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| How much dead material is there? | |
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| What controls the rate of decomposition? | |
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| Rates of decomposition | |
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| Woody material | |
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| Energy and nutrients | |
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| Growth of forests | |
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| Energy flow through forest ecosystems | |
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| Nutrient cycling | |
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| Nitrogen | |
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| Nutrient dynamics in different forests | |
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| Human influences | |
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| Forest change and disturbance | |
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| Ecology of past forests | |
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| Ecological processes that govern change | |
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| Disturbance, patch dynamics and scales of change | |
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| Examples of forest change | |
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| Stability and diversity | |
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| Working forests | |
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| Forest resources and products | |
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| Single- and multi-use forests | |
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| Silviculture and the replacement of trees | |
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| Improving the forest: choice of species and provenance | |
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| Forest practices | |
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| Sustainable forest management | |
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| Landscape ecology and forests | |
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| The future - how will our forests change? | |
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| Threats to forests and the increasing demand for timber | |
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| Desertification | |
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| Climate change | |
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| Other causes of forest decline | |
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| Problems in urban forests - the social interface | |
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| Agroforestry and new forests | |
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| The final challenge | |
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| References | |
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| Index | |