Responsibilities within BU

College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Dean of Research

Bangor lead for the Envision NERC Doctoral Training Partnership

Professor John Healey researches the ecology, management and ecosystem services of forests and agroforestry systems. Key themes include the role in the global carbon cycle of forests^1,2,3 and their products^4,5, climate change impact on forests^6,7 and coral reefs⁸, forest biodiversity conservation at species⁹, site^10,11 and landscape scales¹², including the impact of invasive species¹³ and pathogens¹⁴, drivers of forest degradation¹⁵, the ecological basis of forest restoration¹⁶ and sustainable forest management^17,18, and the role of culture in the resilience of socio-ecological systems¹⁹.  Research on agroforestry includes its role in livelihoods²⁰ and mitigating deforestation and climate change²¹.

PROJECT WEB-SITE LINKS:

CURRENT SUPERVISED RESEARCH STUDENTS

RECENT RESEARCH OUTPUTS BY SUBJECT AREA

Below my journal papers published since 2012 are classified into seven subject areas:

• ·        Tropical forest management, degradation and conservation
• ·        Tropical forest ecology and restoration
• ·        Agroforestry
• ·        Temperate forest, heathland and peatland ecology and conservation
• ·        Tree disease bioeconomic modelling
• ·        Nutrient cycling/resource use/sustainable production
• ·        Science-policy interface

As a cross-cutting theme, the papers directly related to climate change mitigation and adaptation are indicated by C.

Tropical forest management, degradation and conservation

¹² Smith, C.C., Barlow, J., Schwartz, N., Healey, J.R., Young, P.J. & Miranda, L. (2023). Amazonian secondary forests are greatly reducing fragmentation and edge exposure in old-growth forests. Environmental Research Letters 18: 124016. http://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad039e C

Smith, C.C., Healey, J.R., Berenguer, E., Young, P.J., Taylor,B., Elias, F., Espírito-Santo, F. & Barlow, J. (2021). Old-growth forest loss and secondary forest recovery across Amazonian countries. Environmental Research Letters 16: 085009. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac1701 C

² Smith, C.C., Espírito-Santo, F.D.B., Healey, J.R., Young, P.J., Lennox, G.D., Ferreira, J. & Barlow, J. (2020). Secondary forests offset less than 10% of deforestation-mediated carbon emissions in the Brazilian Amazon. Global Change Biology 26, 7006-7020. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15352 C

¹³ Bellingham, P.J., Tanner, E.V.J., Martin, P.H., Healey, J.R. & Burge, O.R. (2018). Endemic trees in a tropical biodiversity hotspot imperilled by an invasive tree. Biological Conservation 217, 47-53 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320717313964.

¹⁷ Kleinschroth, F., Healey, J.R. Gourlet-Fleury, S., Mortier, F. & Stoica, R.S. (2017). Effects of logging on roadless space in intact forest landscapes of the Congo Basin. Conservation Biology 31, 469-480 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12815/full.

Kleinschroth, F. & Healey, J.R. (2017). Impacts of logging roads on tropical forests. Biotropica 49, 620-635 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/btp.12462/full.

Kleinschroth, F., Healey, J.R., Sist, P., Mortier, F. & Gourlet-Fleury, S. (2016). How persistent are the impacts of logging roads on Central African forest vegetation? Journal of Applied Ecology 53, 1127-1137. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2664.12661  C

Kleinschroth, F., Healey, J.R. & Gourlet-Fleury, S. (2016). Sparing forests in Central Africa: re-use old logging roads to avoid creating new ones. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 14, 9-10 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/FEEKleinscrothletter.1/epdf.

Kleinschroth, F., Gourlet-Fleury, S., Gond, V., Sist, P. & Healey, J.R. (2016). Logging roads in tropical forests: Synthesis of literature written in French and English highlights environmental impact reduction through improved engineering. Bois et Forêts des Tropiques 328 (2), 13-26. http://revues.cirad.fr/index.php/BFT/article/view/ID-BFT-151216

Kleinschroth, F., Gourlet-Fleury, S., Sist, P., Mortier, F. & Healey, J.R. (2015). Legacy of logging roads in the Congo Basin: how persistent are the scars in forest cover? Ecosphere 6(4): 64 http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00488.1.

¹⁰ Aerts, R., Van Overtveld, K., Wassie, A., Abiyu, A., Demissew, S., Daye, D.D., Giday, K., Haile, M., TewoldeBerhan, S., Teketay, D., Teklehaimanot, Z., Binggeli, P., Deckers, S., Friis, I., Gratzer, G., Hermy, M., Sterck, F.J., Muys, B., Bongers, F. & Healey, J.R. (2016). Conservation of the Ethiopian church forests: threats, opportunities and implications for their management. Science of the Total Environment 551-552, 404-414. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969716302467

Daye, D.D. & Healey, J.R. (2015).  Impacts of land-use change on sacred forests at the landscape scale. Global Ecology and Conservation 3, 349-358 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989414000961.

Desissa, D. & Healey, J.R. (2012). Sacred groves in the Gamo Highlands of southern Ethiopia: biocultural values and threats. Langscape 2 (11), 44-47.

¹⁵ Morales-Barquero, L., Borrego, A., Skutsch, M., Kleinn, C. & Healey, J.R. (2015). Identification and quantification of drivers of forest degradation in tropical dry forests: a case study in Western Mexico. Land Use Policy 49, 296-309 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.07.006. C

Morales-Barquero, L., Skutsch, M., Jardel-Peláez, E.J., Ghilardi, A., Kleinn, C. & Healey, J.R. (2014). Operationalizing the definition of forest degradation for REDD+, with application to Mexico. Forests 5, 1653-1681 http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/5/7/1653. C

Petrokofsky, G., Sist, P., Blanc, L., Doucet, J.-L., Finegan, B., Gourlet-Fleury, S., Healey, J.R., Livoreil, B., Nasi, R., Peña-Claros, M., Putz, F.E. & Zhou, W. (2015). Comparative effectiveness of silvicultural interventions for increasing timber production and sustaining conservation values in natural tropical production forests. A systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence 4: 8. https://environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13750-015-0034-7 C

Rendón Thompson, O.R., Paavola, J., Healey, J.R., Jones, J.P.G, Baker, T.R. & Torres^, J. (2013). Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+): transaction costs of six Peruvian projects. Ecology and Society 18(1), 17 http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-05239-180117. C

Pullin, A.S., Bangpan, M., Dalrymple, S., Dickson, K., Haddaway, N.R., Healey, J.R., Hauari, H., Hockley, N., Jones, J.P.G., Knight, T., Vigurs, C. & Oliver, S. (2013). Human well-being impacts of terrestrial protected areas. Environmental Evidence 2, 19. https://environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2047-2382-2-19

Bowler, D.E., Buyung-Ali, L.M., Healey, J.R., Jones, J.P.G., Knight T.M. & Pullin, A.S. (2012). Does community forest management provide global environmental benefit and improve local welfare? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 10, 29-36. https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/110040 C

Tropical/sub-tropical forest (and coral reef!) ecology and restoration

⁷Tang, W., Liu, S., Jing, M., Healey, J.R., Smith, M., Farooq, T.H., Zhu, L., Zhao, S. & Wu, Y. (2024). Vegetation growth responses to climate change: A cross-scale analysis of biological memory and time lags using tree ring and satellite data. Global Change Biology 30, e17441. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17441 C

⁶ Tanner, E.V.J., Bellingham, P.J., Healey, J.R. & Feeley, K.J. (2022). Hurricane disturbance accelerated the thermophilization of a Jamaican montane forest. Ecography 2022: e06100. http://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06100 C

⁸ Ford, H., Gove, J., Healey, J.R., Davies, A., Graham, N. & Williams, G. (2024). Recurring bleaching events disrupt the spatial properties of coral reef benthic communities across scales. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 10, 39-55. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.355  C

Ford, H., Davies, A., Gove, J., Graham, N., Healey, J.R., Conklin, E. & Williams, G. (2021). Spatial scaling properties of coral reef benthic communities. Ecography 44, 188-198. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05331.

Weissflog, A., Markesteijn, L., Aiellos, A., Healey, J.R. & Geipel, I. (2022). Do prey shape, time of day, and plant trichomes affect the predation rate on plasticine prey in tropical rainforests? Biotropica https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13150.

³ Poorter, L…, Healey, J.R.….. (2015). Diversity enhances carbon storage in tropical forests. Global Ecology and Biogeography 24, 1314-1328.  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/geb.12364 C

¹⁶ Derroire, G., Powers, J.S., Hulshof, C.M., Cárdenas Varela, L.E. & Healey, J.R. (2018). Contrasting patterns of variation among and within species in leaf functional traits during tropical dry forest succession in Costa Rica. Scientific Reports 8, Article number 285. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-18525-1

Derroire, G., Balvanera, P., Castellanos-Castro, C., Decocq, G., Kennard, D., Lebrija-Trejos, E., Leiva, J., Oden, P.C., Powers, J., Rico-Gray, V., Tigabu, M. & Healey, J.R. (2016). Resilience of tropical dry forests – a meta-analysis of changes in species diversity and composition during secondary succession. Oikos 125, 1386-1397. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/oik.03229

Derroire, G., Coe, R. & Healey, J.R. (2016). Isolated trees as nuclei of regeneration in tropical pastures: testing the importance of niche-based and landscape factors. Journal of Vegetation Science 27, 679-691. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jvs.12404

Derroire, G., Tigabu, M., Odén, P.C. & Healey, J.R. (2016). The effects of established trees on woody regeneration during secondary succession in tropical dry forests. Biotropica 48, 290-300. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/btp.12287

McLaren, K., Luke, D., Tanner, E., Bellingham, P.J. & Healey, J.R. (2019). Reconstructing the effects of hurricanes over 155 years on the structure and diversity of trees in two tropical montane rain forests in Jamaica. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 276-277, article number 107621. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168192319302291

Tanner, E.V.J., Rodriguez-Sanchez, F., Healey, J.R., Holdaway, R.J. & Bellingham, P.J. (2014). Long-term hurricane damage effects on tropical forest tree growth and mortality. Ecology 95, 2974-2983 http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-1801.1.

Chai, S.-L., Healey, J.R. & Tanner, E.V.J. (2012). Evaluation of forest recovery over time and space using permanent plots monitored over 30 years in a Jamaican montane rain forest. PLOS ONE 7(11): e48859. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048859

Temperate forest, heathland and peatland ecology, conservation and management

⁵ Forster, E., Healey, J.R., & Styles, D. (2023). Can temperate forests deliver future wood demand and climate mitigation? https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3681726/v1 C

⁴ Forster, E., Healey, J.R., Newman, G. & Styles, D. (2023). Circular wood use can accelerate global decarbonisation but requires cross-sectoral coordination. Nature Communications 14, 6766. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42499-6 C

¹ Forster, E.J., Healey, J.R., Dymond, C. & Styles, D. (2021). Commercial afforestation can deliver effective climate change mitigation under multiple decarbonisation pathways. Nature Communications 12: 3831. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24084-x C

¹⁴ Cracknell, D., Peterken, G., Pommerening, A., Lawrence, P. & Healey, J.R. (2023). Neighbours matter and the weak succumb: ash dieback infection is more severe in ash trees with fewer conspecific neighbours and lower prior growth rate. Journal of Ecology 111,2118-2133 http://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14191 [Editor's Choice]

¹⁹ Marini Govigli, V., Healey, J.R., Wong, J.L.G. Stara, K., Tsiakiris, R. & Halley, J.M. (2024). Exploring spatial and temporal resilience in socio-ecological systems: evidence from sacred forests in Epirus, Greece. People and Nature 6, 1206-1219. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10624

Stara, K., Tsiakiris, R., Wong, J.L.G., Healey, J.R., Marini Govigli, V. & Halley, J.M. (2024). Can spirituality save centuries-old trees and forests? A study from the mountains of NW Greece. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science (in press).

Marini Govigli, V., Healey, J.R., Wong, J.L.G., Stara, K., Tsiakiris, R. & Halley, J.M. (2020). When nature meets the divine: effect of prohibition regimes on the structure and tree-species composition of sacred forests in northern Greece. Web Ecology 20, 53-86. https://doi.org/10.5194/we-20-53-2020

¹¹ Avtzis D.N., Stara K., Sgardeli V., Betsis A., Diamandis S., Healey J.R., Kapsalis E., Kati V., Korakis G., Marini Govigli V., Monokrousos N., Muggia L., Nitsiakos V., Papadatou E., Papaioannou H., Rohrer A., Τsiakiris R., van Houtan K.S., Vokou D., Wong J. & Halley, JM. (2018). Quantifying the conservation value of sacred natural sites. Biological Conservation 222, 95-103. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320717321183

Tew, E.R. ..... Healey, J.R. .... (2023). A horizon scan of issues affecting UK forest management within 50 years. Forestry An International Journal of Forest Research 2023: cpad047. http://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpad047. C

Gresham, A., Healey, J.R., Eichhorn, M.P., Barton, O., Smith. A. & Shannon, G. (2023). Horizontal viewsheds of large herbivores as a function of woodland structure. Ecology and Evolution 13, e10699. http://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10699.

Barton, O., Healey, J.R., Cordes, L., Davies, A.J. & Shannon, G. (2023). Predicting the spatial expansion of an animal population with presence-only data. Ecology and Evolution 13, e10778. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10778.

Barton, O., Gresham, A., Healey, J.R., Cordes, L. & Shannon, G. (2022). The effects of population management on wild ungulates: a systematic map of evidence for UK species. PLoS One 17: e0267385. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267385

Webb, B., Robinson, D.A., Marshall, M.R., Ford, H., Pagella, T., Healey, J.R. & Smith, A.R. (2022). Variation in root morphology amongst tree species influences soil hydraulic conductivity and macroporosity. Geoderma 425: 116057. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706122003640

Ribbons, R.R., Del Toro, I., Smith, A.R., Healey, J.R., Vesterdal, L. & McDonald, M.A. (2022). Roots and rhizospheric soil microbial community responses to tree species mixtures. Applied Soil Ecology 176: 104509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104509.

Peters, T.D., Hardaker, A.R., Dauksta, D., Newman, G., Lellig, C., & Healey, J.R. (2021). Top Five Alternative Conifer Tree Species in Great Britain. Cardiff: Welsh Government, Government Social Research report number C160/2020/2021, 132 p. https://woodknowledge.wales/wkw-resource/forestry/top-five-alternative-conifer-tree-species-review C

Wiik, E., Pagella, T., Healey, J.R., Bathgate, S., McKay, H. & Jenkins, T. (2020). Analysis of the viability of “land sparing” and “land sharing” strategies for commercial woodland expansion within Wales, pp. 9-64 in Wiik, E, Hunter, S., Andrews, W., Healey, J.R., Bathgate, S., McKay, H., Jenkins, T. & Pagella, T. (2020). Climate Smart Woodlands in Wales. Final Report of a project commissioned by Welsh Government from Bangor University and Forest Research. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutputs/analysis-of-the-viability-of-land-sparing-and-land-sharing-strategies-for-commercial-woodland-expansion-within-wales(c76fcdc0-14c0-4169-bcb3-f29a3ad35061).html C

⁹ Ovenden, T.S., Palmer, S.C.F., Travis, J.M.J. & Healey, J.R. (2019). Improving reintroduction success in large carnivores through individual-based modelling: how to reintroduce Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) to Scotland. Biological Conservation 234, 140-153. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718314915  

Ford, H., Healey, J.R., Markesteijn, L. & Smith, A.R. (2018). How does grazing management influence the functional diversity of oak woodland ecosystems? A plant trait approach. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 258, 154-161.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.02.025

Gray, J. & Healey, J.R. (2016). Overwintering sites of ladybirds, shieldbugs and allied species in Hertfordshire woodland: how important is aspect? Transactions of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society 48 (1), 89-98. http://ecoforestry.uk/publications.html

Haddaway, N.R., Burden, A., Evans, C.D., Healey, J.R., Jones, D.L., Dalrymple, S.E. & Pullin, A.S. (2014). Evaluating effects of land management on greenhouse gas fluxes and carbon balances in boreo-temperate lowland peatland systems. Environmental Evidence 2014, 3: 5.  http://www.environmentalevidencejournal.org/content/3/1/5/. C

Smith, A.R., Lukac, M., Hood, R., Healey, J.R., Miglietta, F. & Godbold, D.L. (2013). Elevated CO₂ enrichment induces a differential biomass response in a mixed species temperate forest plantation. New Phytologist 198, 156-168. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nph.12136 C

DeLuca, T.H., Zewdie, S.A., Zackrisson, O., Healey, J.R. & Jones, D.L. (2013). Bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum L. Kuhn) promotes an open nitrogen cycle in heathland soils. Plant and Soil 367, 521-534. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11104-012-1484-0

Agroforestry

Esquivel Sheik, M.J., Finegan, B., Healey, J.R. & Casanoves, F. (2023). Increasing biodiversity in livestock production systems: Plant traits and natural regeneration capacity of woody vegetation in actively managed grasslands. In Chará, J. & Jose, S. (eds) Silvopastoral systems of Meso America and Northern South America. Advances in Agroforestry. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, p. 279-305. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43063-3_14 

²¹ Ford, H., Healey, J.R., Webb, B., Pagella, T.F. & Smith, A.R. (2021). Hedgerow effects on CO₂ emissions are regulated by soil type and season: implications for carbon flux dynamics in livestock-grazed pasture. Geoderma 382, 114697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114697. C

Ford, H., Healey, J.R., Webb, B., Pagella, T.F. & Smith, A.R. (2019). How do hedgerows influence soil organic carbon in livestock-grazed pasture? Soil Use and Management 35, 576-584. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sum.12517 C

Pagella, T. & Healey, J.R. (2020). Agroforestry in Wales, pp. 65-105 in Wiik, E, Hunter, S., Andrews, W., Healey, J.R., Bathgate, S., McKay, H., Jenkins, T. & Pagella, T. (2020). Climate Smart Woodlands in Wales. Final Report of a project commissioned by Welsh Government from Bangor University and Forest Research. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutputs/agroforestry-in-wales(9894e343-7b4e-432f-b07d-bbe521b45717).html

Rahman, S.A., Sunderland, T., Roshetko, J.M. & Healey, J.R. (2017). Facilitating smallholder tree farming in fragmented tropical landscapes: Challenges and potentials for sustainable land management. Journal of Environmental Management 198, 110-121. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030147971730395X

²⁰ Rahman, S.A., Jacobsen, J.B., Healey, J.R., Roshetko, J.M. & Sunderland, T. (2017). Finding alternatives to swidden agriculture: Does agroforestry improve livelihood options and reduce pressure on existing forest? Agroforestry Systems 91, 185-199. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-016-9912-4

Rahman, S., Sunderland, T., Kshatriya, M., Roshetko, J.M., Pagella, T. & Healey, J.R. (2016). Towards productive landscapes: Trade-offs in tree-cover and income across a matrix of smallholder agricultural land-use systems. Land Use Policy 58, 152-164 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837716303064.

Rahman, S.A., Sunderland, T., Roshetko, J.M., Basuki, I. & Healey, J.R. (2016). Tree culture of smallholder farmers practicing agroforestry in Gunung Salak Valley, West Java, Indonesia. Small-scale Forestry 58, 152-164 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837716303064.

Noponen, M.R.A., Healey, J.R., Soto, G. & Haggar, J.P. (2013). Sink or source – the potential of coffee agroforestry systems to sequester atmospheric CO₂ into soil organic carbon. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 175, 60-68. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880913001229 C

Noponen, M.R.A., Haggar, J.P., Edwards-Jones, G., Healey, J.R. (2013). Intensification of coffee systems can increase the effectiveness of REDD mechanisms. Agricultural Systems 119, 1-9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X13000395 C

Noponen, M.R.A., Edwards-Jones, G., Haggar, J.P., Soto, G., Attarzadeh, N. & Healey, J.R. (2012). Greenhouse gas emissions in coffee grown with differing input levels under conventional and organic management. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 151, 6-15. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880912000345 C

Tree disease bioeconomic modelling

¹⁸ Roberts, M., Gilligan, C.A., Kleczkowski, A., Hanley N., Whalley, A.E. & Healey, J.R. (2020). The effect of forest management options on forest resilience to pathogens. Frontiers In Forests And Global Change 3:7. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2020.00007

Macpherson, M.F., Kleczkowski, A., Healey, J.R., Quine, C. & Hanley, N. (2017). The effects of invasive pests and diseases on strategies for forest diversification. Ecological Modelling 350, 87-99. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380016303726

Macpherson, M.F., Kleczkowski, A., Healey, J.R. & Hanley, N. (2018). The effects of disease on optimal forest rotation: a generalisable analytical framework. Environmental and Resource Economics 70, 565-588. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10640-016-0077-4.

Macpherson, M.F., Kleczkowski, A., Healey, J.R. & Hanley, N. (2017). Payment for multiple forest benefits alters the effect of tree disease on optimal forest rotation length. Ecological Economics 134, 82-94. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800916308722.

Sheremet, O., Healey, J.R., Quine, C. & Hanley, N. (2017). Public preferences and willingness to pay for forest disease control in the UK. Journal of Agricultural Economics 68, 781-800. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1477-9552.12210/full.

Nutrient cycling/resource use/sustainable production

Talboys, P.J., Healey, J.R., Withers, P.J.A., Roose, T., Edwards, A.C., Pavinato, P.S. & Jones, D.L. (2020). Combining seed dressing and foliar applications of phosphorus fertiliser can give similar crop growth and yield benefits to soil applications together with greater recovery rates. Frontiers in Agronomy 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2020.605655

Talboys, P.J., Heppell, J., Roose, T., Healey, J.R., Jones, D.L. & Withers, P.J.A. (2016). Struvite: a slow-release fertiliser for sustainable phosphorus management? Plant and Soil 401, 109-123. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11104-015-2747-3

Withers, P.J.A., Sylvester-Bradley, R., Jones, D.L., Healey, J.R. & Talboys, P.J. (2014). Feed the crop not the soil: rethinking phosphorus management in the food chain. Environmental Science & Technology 48, 6523-6530. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es501670j

Talboys, P.J., Healey, J.R., Withers, P.J.A. & Jones, D.L. (2014). Phosphate depletion modulates auxin transport in Triticum aestivium leading to altered root branching. Journal of Experimental Botany 65, 5023-5032. https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/65/17/5023/559612

Talboys, P.J., Owen, D.W., Healey, J.R., Withers, P.J.A. & Jones, D.L. (2014). Auxin secretion by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 both stimulates root exudation and limits phosphorus uptake in Triticum aestivium. BMC Plant Biology 14: 51.  http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2229/14/51.

Styles, D., Gibbons, J., Williams, A.P., Stichnothe, H., Chadwick, D.R. & Healey, J.R. (2015). Cattle feed or bioenergy? Consequential life cycle assessment of biogas feedstock options on dairy farms. Global Change Biology Bioenergy 7, 1034-1049. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcbb.12189 C

Gibbons, J.M., Williamson, J.C., Williams, A.P., Withers, P.J.A., Hockley, N., Harris, I.M., Hughes, J.W., Taylor, R.L., Jones, D.L. & Healey, J.R. (2014). Sustainable nutrient management at field, farm and regional level: soil testing, nutrient budgets and the trade-off between lime application and greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 188, 48-56. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880914000966 C

Ford, H., Smith, A., Pagella, T. & Healey, J. (2016). Trees, water storage and flooding in upland agricultural landscapes: why do we need to know more? Forestry & Timber News April 2016, 27-28. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutputs/trees-water-storage-and-flooding-in-upland-agricultural-landscapes-why-do-we-need-to-know-more(934931b1-da7a-4bdf-9472-2bf998bc0039).html

Policy, governance, science-policy interface

Wynne-Jones, S., Dandy, N., Bodner, T. & Healey, J.R. (2022). Governing like a forest: achieving diachronic integrity or emergency carbon sequestration through post-Brexit forest policy? In Attorp, A., McAreavey, R. & Heron, S. (eds). Rural Governance in the UK: Towards a Sustainable and Equitable Society, Routledge, p. 120-139. DOI: 10.4324/9781003200208-7 C

O’Leary, B.C., Kvist, K., Bayliss, H.R., Derroire, G., Healey, J.R., Hughes, K., Kleinschroth, F., Sciberras, M., Woodcock, P. & Pullin, A.S. (2016). The reliability of evidence reviews in environmental science and conservation. Environmental Science and Policy 64, 75-82 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901116303318.

RECENTLY COMPLETED PHD

SOME NEWS ITEMS ABOUT JOHN HEALEY’S RESEARCH

Sacred forests revealed to be resilient systems with strong capacity for recovery and expansion once external pressures allow | Bangor University

Naturally regrowing forests are helping to protect the remaining old forests in the Amazon | Bangor University

Experts predict ‘catastrophic ecosystem collapse’ of UK forests within the next 50 years if action not taken | Bangor University

Recycling used wood can make a big contribution to net zero but it needs much better coordination | Bangor University

Rural policy makers encouraged to ‘govern like a forest’ in post-Brexit Britain | Bangor University 

Global warming and an intense hurricane combine to drive tree species up tropical mountains towards extinction | Bangor University 

Planned UK planting of forests expected to be the equivalent of 14 billion fewer kilometres being driven | College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering | Bangor University 

New study exposes big differences amongst Amazonian countries in their rates of forest recovery as well as deforestation | School of Natural Sciences | Bangor University 

Tree diseases in forests: prevention is better than cure | Forestry@Bangor | Bangor University 

New study models the proposed reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx to Scotland | School of Natural Sciences | Bangor University 

Sacred sites have a biodiversity advantage that could help world conservation | News and Events | Bangor University 

Scientists call for action to tackle the threat of invasive tree species to a global biodiversity hotspot | News and Events | Bangor University 

Ethiopian ‘Church Forests’ are a crucial resource deserving of world heritage status | News and Events | Bangor University 

Qualifications and Membership of Professional Bodies

BA Botany (University of Oxford)
PhD (University of Cambridge)
Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters

Email: j.healey@bangor.ac.uk

Tel: 01248 383703 (from U.K.)
+44 1248 383703 (International)

Google Scholar

ResearchGate

I am the organiser and lecturer for:

the final year undergraduate module DXX-3301 Forest Ecology    and

the MSc module DXX-4517 Forest Ecology and Resources.

I also contribute to:

the first year undergraduate modules DXX-1006 Making Snowdonia    and

DXX-1003 Forestry in the 21st Century ;

the second year undergraduate modules  DXX-2004 Silviculture and Inventory    and

DXX-2017 Forest Health ;

the MSc modules DDL-4202 Silviculture   and

DXX-4505 Natural Resources Management.

I also supervise several PhD students, whose details are given in the section "Research Interests".

I am happy to consider supervising student-generated projects within the following subject areas: Ecology, management and ecosystem services of forests and agroforestry systems, with particular emphasis on tropical and upland environments. Biodiversity conservation in protection and production forests; invasive woody species. Forest restoration and remediation of degraded and post-industrial land. Sustainable forest management and policy including: climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration; Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation; reduced impact logging; silviculture; secondary and buffer-zone forest management; community participation; monitoring. Forest ecology including: natural regeneration; resistance and resilience of forests to disturbance (including from pathogens and herbivores); succession; landscape; climate change adaptation. Ecosystem ecology across a range of forest, agroforestry, agricultural and upland land uses: nutrient and carbon cycling; sustainable intensification.

RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS/CENTRES AND NETWORKS

Envision Doctoral Training Partnership - Developing the next generation leaders in Environmental Science (phase 1, 2014-2022, and phase 2, 2019-2027).  I am Co-Principal Investigator, Bangor lead and Forest College lead of this NERC DTP, which is led by Professor Nick Ostle (Lancaster University) in partnership with Bangor University, University of Nottingham, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, British Geological Survey and Rothamsted Research. http://www.envision-dtp.org/

Advanced Training Partnership for sustainable and efficient food production  I was Co-Investigator of this BBSRC project, which was led by Principal Investigator Professor Jamie Newbold at Aberystwyth University.  Leadership of the Bangor component was subsequently taken over by Professor Dave Chadwick.

Smart Efficient Energy Centre I am Co-Investigator of this European Regional Development Fund project, having co-initiated and co-edited the grant application under the leadership of Professor Colin Jago.  Following Colin’s retirement the project is now led by Professor Simon Neill.  http://seec.bangor.ac.uk/

Sêr Cymru National Research Network for Low Carbon, Energy and the Environment  I was Co-Investigator of the application made jointly by Bangor and Aberystwyth Universities for this network funded by the Welsh Government and Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, which was then led by Professor David Thomas.

Biosciences Environment and Agriculture Alliance  I was Co-Investigator of the application for this partnership between Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities funded by the Welsh Government and Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.  I acted as Bangor lead.

Centre for Integrated Research in the Rural Environment  I was Co-Principal Investigator of this Higher Education Funding Council for Wales funded partnership between Bangor and Aberystwyth Universities, which I co-directed with Professor Jamie Newbold (Aberystwyth University).

Environment: Welsh Centre for Catchment and Coastal Research  I was the lead author and manager of this joint Bangor and Aberystwyth Universities infrastructure programme funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales - Science Research Infrastructure Fund 3 scheme, in collaboration with Professor Paul Brewer (Aberystwyth University).

In addition, I played a major role in facilitating the development and funding application of the Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and is led by Professor Peter Golyshin. http://environmental-biotechnology.bangor.ac.uk/

RESEARCH PROJECTS SINCE 2000

TEMPERATE FORESTS AND AGROFORESTRY

Literature Review of Top Five Alternative Tree Species in Great Britain  I am Co-Investigator of this project managed by the Welsh Government on behalf of the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, having co-written the tender application with the Woodknowledge Wales team of Gary Newman, Ashley Hardaker, Tim Peters and Dainis Dauksta.  The final report of this project has now been published: Peters, T.D., Hardaker, A.R., Dauksta, D., Newman, G., Lellig, C., & Healey, J.R. (2021). Top Five Alternative Conifer Tree Species in Great Britain. Cardiff: Welsh Government, Government Social Research report number C160/2020/2021, 132 p. https://woodknowledge.wales/wkw-resource/forestry/top-five-alternative-conifer-tree-species-review

Economic Aspects of Woodland Creation for Timber Production I was a contributor to this Woodknowledge Wales project which has produced the following six publications:

Hardaker, A. (with contributions from Healey, J.R.) (2021). Financial evaluation of afforestation projects - basic steps. Economic Aspects of Woodland Creation for Timber Production 1. Woodknowledge Wales in Association with Bangor University, 11 p. https://woodknowledge.wales/home-grown-homes/afforestation

Hardaker, A. (with contributions from Healey, J.R.) (2021). Evaluating the financial costs of forestry. Economic Aspects of Woodland Creation for Timber Production 2. Woodknowledge Wales in Association with Bangor University, 9 p. https://woodknowledge.wales/home-grown-homes/afforestation

Hardaker, A. (with contributions from Healey, J.R.) (2021). Revenue from forestry enterprises. Economic Aspects of Woodland Creation for Timber Production 3. Woodknowledge Wales in Association with Bangor University, 8 p. https://woodknowledge.wales/home-grown-homes/afforestation

Hardaker, A. (with contributions from Healey, J.R.) (2021). Accounting for time. Economic Aspects of Woodland Creation for Timber Production 4. Woodknowledge Wales in Association with Bangor University, 8 p. https://woodknowledge.wales/home-grown-homes/afforestation

Hardaker, A. (with contributions from Healey, J.R.) (2021). Alternative tools for financial evaluation of forestry. Economic Aspects of Woodland Creation for Timber Production 5. Woodknowledge Wales in Association with Bangor University, 9 p. https://woodknowledge.wales/home-grown-homes/afforestation

Hardaker, A. (with contributions from Healey, J.R.) (2021). Incorporating uncertainty and risk into forestry financial evaluations. Economic Aspects of Woodland Creation for Timber Production 6. Woodknowledge Wales in Association with Bangor University, 11 p. https://woodknowledge.wales/home-grown-homes/afforestation

Climate smart woodlands  I am Co-Investigator of this Welsh Government Rural Development Programme project, having co-initiated and co-written the grant application with Principal Investigator Dr Tim Pagella.

MULTI-LAND: Enhancing agricultural productivity and ecosystem service resilience in multifunctional landscapes  I was Co-Investigator of this Sêr Cymru National Research Network for Low Carbon, Energy and the Environment cluster project, having contributed content to the grant application, which was led by Principal Investigator Dr Andy Smith.  http://www.nrn-lcee.ac.uk/multi-land/

Modelling economic impact and strategies to increase resilience against tree disease outbreaks  I was Co-Investigator and Bangor lead for this BBSRC-LWEC project, which was led by Principal Investigator Professor Adam Kleczkowski (now at the University of Strathclyde).

THALIS-SAGE: Conservation through religion – the sacred groves of Epirus  I was Co-Investigator and Bangor lead for this EU project, which is led by Principal Investigator Professor John Halley (University of Ioannina).

Carbon sequestration in fruit trees  I was Co-Investigator of this project funded by the Coca-Cola Company, which was led by PI Professor Gareth-Edwards Jones.

RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF TEMPERATE ECOSYSTEMS

Improving catchment environmental quality through better nutrient management in the livestock farming landscape  I was Principal Investigator of this project funded by the Rural Development Plan for Wales. http://cefnconwy.bangor.ac.uk/

Using systematic review methodology to establish an evidence base for implementation of the Environment Agency Wales Climate Change Strategy  I was Co-Investigator of this NERC project, which was led by Principal Investigator Professor Andrew Pullin.

Treating waste for restoring land sustainably  I was  Co-Principal Investigator of this EU LIFE project, which I jointly led with Professor Davey Jones. http://ies.bangor.ac.uk/TWIRLS/index.php.en

Sustainable post-industrial land restoration and re-creation of high biodiversity natural habitats  I was Co-Principal Investigator of this EU LIFE project, which I jointly led with Professor Davey Jones.

Woodchip for livestock bedding  I was Co-Principal Investigator of this project funded by Hybu Cig Cymru (Farming Connect).  The Bangor component was led by Professor Davey Jones.

Fly ash from wood combustion: alternatives to landfill  I was Co-Principal Investigator of this project funded by E.ON UK, which was led by Principal Investigator Dr James Walmsley.

TROPICAL FORESTS: BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT

Rescue of tropical legacy environmental data sets for restoration and climate change mitigation I am a Co-Investigator of this project, a collaboration between IUFRO, the Forest History Society, Organisation of Tropical Studies and Bangor University, which is led by Dr Sheila Ward, Coordinator of the IUFRO Working Party on Resource Data in the Tropics. The Bangor component is led by Dr Jenny Wong.

Can tropical silvicultural interventions improve the sustainability of timber production while ensuring the conservation of production forests?  I was Co-Investigator and Bangor lead for this CIFOR project, which was led by Principal Investigator Dr Plinio Sist (Head of the Forests and Societies research unit of CIRAD).

Human well-being impacts of terrestrial protected areas  I was Co-Investigator of this project funded by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment Facility (UNEP), which was led by Principal Investigator Professor Andrew Pullin.

The evidence base for community forest management as a mechanism for reducing poverty and supplying environmental benefits  I was Co-Investigator of this project funded by the United Nations Environment Programme, which was led by Principal Investigator Professor Andrew Pullin.

Capacity building for carbon- and biodiversity-based payments for ecosystem services in the Peruvian Amazon  I was Co-Investigator of this project funded by NERC, ESRC and DFID through the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation programme, which was led by Dr Tim Baker (University of Leeds).

Building Nicaraguan and Costa Rican capacity in biodiversity conservation  I was Co-Principal Investigator of this project funded by the Darwin Initiative of the UK Department of Environment Transport and the Regions, which was led by Dr Fergus Sinclair. http://darwin.bangor.ac.uk/index.html

Plant species impacts on carbon and nutrient dynamics in tropical forest restoration  I was Principal Investigator of this Royal Society KC Wong Fellowship project.

Indicators and tools for restoration and sustainable management of closed-deciduous forests in East Africa  I was Co-Principal Investigator and Bangor lead of this project funded by the EU (INCO-DEV).  The project was led by Dr Clemens Fehr and Dr Timm Tennigkeit (University of Freiburg/UNIQUE Forestry and Land Use GmbH).  The other main partners were Professor Frans Bongers and Dr Frank Sterck (Wageningen University).

Biodiversity conservation in ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia  I was Co-Principal Investigator of this Darwin Initiative project, which was led by Dr Zewge Teklehaimanot. http://darwin.bangor.ac.uk/biodiversity-ethiopia/

Research training to sustain and restore bio-cultural diversity of indigenous sacred sites in Southern Ethiopia  I was Principal Investigator of this project funded by The Christensen Fund.

Combining ecological knowledge and socio-economic perspectives in the participatory improvement of multistrata agroforestry systems at the forest margin  I was Co-Principal Investigator of this project funded by the DFID Forestry Research Programme, which was led by Dr Fergus Sinclair.

Development and promotion of improved methods for identification, assessment and evaluation of biodiversity for tropical mountain environments  I was Principal Investigator of this project funded by the DFID Environment Research Programme.

Documentation of UK holdings of growth and yield, inventory and other data from tropical forests  I was Co-Principal Investigator of this project funded by the DFID Forestry Research Programme, which was a collaboration with the Universities of Oxford and Reading.

Google Scholar

ResearchGate

Research and teaching focus: Forest ecology

A professional forester (Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters)

and I manage my two woodlands: 5 ha of beech and Scots pine plantation on an ancient woodland site in the Conwy valley and 2 ha of recently established very mixed-species broadleaved woodland in west Cheshire.

Also a member of: Royal Forestry Society, Commonwealth Forestry Association, International Society of Tropical Foresters, Small Woods Association, British Ecological Society, International Association for Landscape Ecology and North Wales Wildlife Trust

Section Chief Editor for the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

I recently contributed to a Podcast on "Our future forests" for WoodKnowledge Wales: https://woodknowledge.wales/wkw-resource/woodbuild-2020-autumn-series-podcasts

Video clip of John talking about carbon sequestration in ancient woodland in the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park

Brief segment of the ITV Wales programme Coast and Country (from 15 min 43 seconds) featuring John and Bangor postgraduate students Zach Zimmerman, India Blake and Jack Atkin-Willoughby talking about the experience of researching and learning in Coed Dolgarrog National Nature Reserve Woodland – the main location for forest ecology fieldwork in the MSc Environmental Forestry course

And I wrote an article for The Conversation on 'How to recognise a temperate rainforest in Britain and Ireland when you see one' How to recognise a temperate rainforest in Britain and Ireland when you see one (theconversation.com)

For more information about my work click on "Research Interests" below

Research areas:

Forestry

Conservation

Agriculture, food and the environment

Biogeochemistry of soils, wetlands, and marine environments