Help us Save our Woodlands this Halloween  

The image of the creepy woodland is – pardon the pun – deeply rooted in popular culture. As children, we’re told that woodlands are deep and dark and dangerous. Red Riding Hood encounters the wolf in the woods; it’s where the witch in Hansel and Gretal lives, and early on in The Wind in the Willows, Mole encounters ‘the Terror of the Wild Wood!’ But it’s not just in children’s stories that this image pervades – countless horror films are set in the depths of our forests, and the silhouettes of leafless, lifeless and twisted trees are everywhere at this time of year (see how many you can spot).  

But this Halloween we’re contemplating something much more terrifying: a world without woodlands. It’s the stuff of dystopian novels, and conservationists across the globe are working tirelessly to ensure it doesn’t become a reality, but in this blog we try to answer the unthinkable question: what would life be like without our woodlands? 

It would affect everything, starting with the air we breathe… 

Trees have a big impact on the composition of our air. Through photosynthesis they absorb carbon dioxide, whilst expelling oxygen. Scientists estimate that trees provide roughly 28% of the oxygen in our air, with much of the remainder coming from phytoplankton in the ocean. Just how long humans and other animals could survive without the oxygen produced by our trees is up for debate (having, perhaps optimistically, sought the answer online, I found various contradictory claims, ranging from days and weeks, to 4,000 years!). Thankfully, there’s no precedent to base this on – but losing all of the world’s woodlands would certainly upset the delicate balance of our atmosphere and there’d be much less oxygen to go around. There’d also be a lot more carbon. 

A tree’s leaves absorb CO2 from the air during photosynthesis, and this, when mixed with water from the soil, creates glucose which contains carbon atoms. In the UK alone, living trees store approximately 213 million tonnes of carbon. And even more is locked-up in woodland soils and the various other plants and shrubs that make up the woodland understory. That’s why woodlands are our biggest allies in the fight against the climate crisis. Without them, the very worst impacts of climate change imaginable would be just around the corner.  

Biodiversity would plummet

Our woodlands are magical places. From the violet burst of springtime bluebells and the soothing sound of leaves in the breeze, to the melodic tune of the song thrush in the canopy and the rustling of unseen creatures in the autumnal leaf litter, our woodlands are full of the colours, sounds and scents of life. Without them, our world would be much less vibrant, and our wildlife would be in peril. 

Ancient woodlands are the most complex terrestrial habitat we have in the UK, with every part of them providing for a myriad of life. They support more threatened species than any other habitat we haveiii and lack of woodland management – which is vital to keep our woodlands diverse and healthy - is one of the eight biggest drivers of species decline. So, it’s clear that, if we were to lose our woodlands, we’d have to say goodbye to a whole host of plants and animals. 

So many are already threatened, including:  

• the hazel dormouse, which is of critical conservation concern 

• the elusive barbastelle bat 

• the lesser spotted woodpecker – one of our scarcest birds 

• the incredibly rare violet click beetle, which depends on decaying wood and is found at just three sites in the UK.   

Without our woodlands, these species and many more would be lost, forever. 

Oxygen levels aside, our air would be much more dangerous  

But trees can help to protect us from this.   

As well as carbon dioxide, trees can absorb other pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. The fine hairs on the leaves of trees and plants, and their waxy surfaces, can also help to trap particulate matter. A recent study carried out by Lancaster University found that some of our native trees – silver birch, yew and elder – are the best at catching these harmful substances.v   

Without our trees and woodlands, we’d be much more exposed to these deadly pollutants. And we could face a whole raft of other terrifying impacts, from droughts and flooding, to increased temperatures and wildfires. 

Our overall health and wellbeing would also suffer 

Spending time in woodlands, and nature generally, brings a huge number of benefits to our physical and mental health and wellbeing. Regular time spent in nature is linked to a reduced risk of developing certain diseases, including type two diabetes; it can also reduce anxiety, depression and loneliness, whilst improving happiness and resilience.  

The 2021 report, ‘Valuing the Mental Health Benefits of Woodlands’, estimated the annual value of mental health benefits associated with visits to woodlands in the UK, at £185 million.

There is nothing quite like a walk in the woods and, if we lost them, there never would be again.   

Our cultural lives would be poorer  

Trees are at the heart of so much that enriches our lives. They play a key role in many different faiths, and in the cultural traditions of people around the world.  

They are also a physical link to our past. To be classified as ‘ancient’ in England, woodland areas must have existed continuously since 1600 – when the first King Charles was on the throne! 

Woodlands provide an enduring connection to centuries of history, mythology, and folklore. Trees and woodlands have served as a muse for countless great minds, and inspired the creations of some of our most-loved writers and artists – like A.A Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood, Robert Frost’s ‘lovely, dark and deep’ woods, and the Ents in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. And so many of us draw inspiration from them on a daily basis.  

The ultimate Halloween nightmare  

There are countless ways in which our lives would be impacted by the loss of our woodlands. But none of them are good. There may be no agreed-upon scientific answer to the question – what would life be like without woodlands?, but it’s very clear that it would be much less magical, less interesting, less peaceful and, ultimately, much less full of….well, life.