As Plantlife’s Rainforest Advisor for the Southwest, Angie Cruse supports landowners & site managers in understanding the lower-plant species living in their woodlands and how best to manage these habitats for resilience and richness. 

The Woodland Trust and Plantlife collaborate closely in the Southwest. When working together, we seek out and protect rare lichens, run training events, and shape future plans to safeguard and enrich our temperate rainforests. 

Here are some of the wonderful rainforest lichens you can spot this winter, and throughout the year. Just remember: wet and dry weather can completely change their appearance!

Restoring a forest is often seen as planting young trees or protecting ancient ones. Yet, the value of a rotting log, a hollow trunk, or a fallen branch is immense. Dead wood is among the most important habitats in a healthy woodland, particularly in a healthy temperate rainforest. 

Working with associate lecturer Dr. Benjamin Phillips, the Woodland Trust has discovered a groundbreaking glimpse into the important interactions between oceans and forests. Until now, these ecosystems have often been studied separately. But by drawing together more than 270 peer-reviewed studies from around the world, the Ocean Forest Links report highlights a far more connected picture of the natural world. 

It is easy to walk around a temperate rainforest and appreciate the beauty it possesses. But have you thought about how they function and what they might quietly be doing for us? 

Temperate rainforests once covered around 20% of the UK and 80% of Devon and Cornwall. Today, only around 8% of that original rainforest remains, meaning we’ve lost approximately 90% of our rainforest. 

This World Rainforest Day, 22^nd of June, we’re celebrating five ways temperate rainforests support our lives in surprising ways, and five ways we can help restore, reconnect and protect what remains.