Professor John Healey

Professor of Forest Sciences / Director of College Research Institute

j.healey@bangor.ac.uk

+44 1248 383703

0000-0002-5398-2293

Professor John Healey

Gwelwch proffil Professor John Healey ar Bortal Ymchwil Bangor

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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 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

John talking about new Bangor research on the importance of bramble in the diet of fallow deer and the implications for woodland management on Farming Today (from 28 seconds) – deer in woodlands is a major component of the BSc module in Forest Ecology

Research presentation by John on Spatial and temporal variation in Amazon deforestation and forest recovery: implications for the climate and biodiversity

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

Thoday Building, room S7

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 ENS-4303 Forest Ecology.

I also contribute to:

the first year undergraduate modules ENS-1300 Practical and field skills for forestry and woodland management;

ENS-1031 Forestry in the 21st Century;

ENS-1302 Trees, forests and global change;

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

DXX-2017 Forest Health;

DXX-2000 GIS and Research Methods;

the MSc modules ENS-4306 Silviculture;

ENS-4307 Ecological restoration;

ENS-4304 Forest history, policy and management;

DXX-4505 Natural Resources Management.

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

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 forests1,2,3 and their products4,5, climate change impact on forests6,7 and coral reefs8, forest biodiversity conservation at species9, site10,11 and landscape scales12, including the impact of invasive tree13 and mammal14 species and pathogens15, drivers of forest degradation16, the ecological basis of forest restoration17 and sustainable forest management18,19, and the role of culture in the resilience of socio-ecological systems20.  Research on agroforestry includes its role in livelihoods21 and mitigating deforestation and climate change22.

PROJECT WEB-SITE LINKS:

http://seec.bangor.ac.uk/index.php.en

Smart Efficient Energy Centre: a £7M research centre working across three low carbon energy sectors: ocean energy, nuclear energy, and energy efficient structures.

 

http://www.nrn-lcee.ac.uk/multi-land/  

Multi-Land: Enhancing Agricultural Productivity and Ecosystem Service Resilience in Multifunctional Landscapes. A research cluster of the National Research Network for Low Carbon, Energy and Environment

http://iwpt.bangor.ac.uk/

Invasive Woody Plants in the Tropics: The Invasive Woody Plants in the Tropics research group, based at the University of Wales, Bangor, UK, has undertaken two major field studies in Jamaica and Tanzania, together with a global review of invasions resulting in a comprehensive database, an analysis of common characteristics and recommendations for management and control.

http://darwin.bangor.ac.uk/biodiversity-ethiopia/

Biodiversity conservation of ancient church and monastery yards in Ethiopia

http://darwin.bangor.ac.uk/index.html

Building Nicaraguan and Costa Rican capacity in biodiversity conservation: The homepage of the Darwin Initiative project 'Building Nicaraguan and Costa Rican capacity in biodiversity conservation'.

http://ies.bangor.ac.uk/TWIRLS/index.php.en

TWIRLS: Treating Waste for Restoring Land Sustainability: A European Commission LIFE-Environment project targeting the restoration of degraded land using locally sourced waste materials.

http://cefnconwy.bangor.ac.uk/

Cefn Conwy: The CEFN Conwy project is designed to enhance the technical knowledge and environmental management skills of farmers in rural Conwy

http://www.envision-dtp.org/

Envision: Developing next generation leaders in environmental science: A NERC Doctoral Training Partnership between Lancaster, Bangor and Nottingham Universities, Rothamsted Research, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and British Geological Survey.

CURRENT SUPERVISED RESEARCH STUDENTS

Tom Henderson. Life cycle assessment-bsaed modelling of ‚Welsh timber‘ incorporating environmentl burdens and ecosystem service impacts. Co-supervised with Ashley Hardaker

Heddwyn Bye. Quantifying the value of farm woodlands for timber products and carbon using terrestrial laser scanning. Co-supervised with Marielle Smith

Jack Atkin-Willoughby. Restoring for a resilient future: Woodland community assembly trajectories in the face of multiple stressors. Co-supervised with Laurence Jones, Mike Perring and Andy Smith

Nisabhat Tonwoot. Forest policy in Thailand. Co-supervised with Neal Hockley

Harry Skinner. Altered states: Will forest-agriculture mosaic landscapes allow the long-term survival of a forest-specialist primate? Co-supervised with Alex Georgiev, Graeme Shannon, Isabel Rosa and Tim Davenport

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.

18 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.

16 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

17 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., Styles, D. & Healey, J.R. (2025). Temperate forests can deliver future wood demand and climate-change mitigation dependent on afforestation and circularity. Nature Communications 16: 3872. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58463-5 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 Gresham, A., Pillay, K., Healey, J.R., Eichhorn, M.P., Ellison, A., Lowe, A., Codes, L., Creer, S. & Shannon, G. (2025). A continuous feast of bramble: Rubus fruticosus agg. is a key cross-seasonal dietary resource for a fallow deer population. Ecological Solutions and Evidence 6, e70008. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70008.

Gresham, A., Healey, J.R., Lawrence, P., Eichhorn, M.P. & Shannon, G. (2025). A scoping review of evidence for the effects of seven global deer species on woody vegetation. Ecological Solutions and Evidence 6, e70044. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70044  

15 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]

20 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. (2025). Can spirituality save centuries-old trees and forests? A study from the mountains of northwest Greece. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 60, 260-292. https://doi.org/10.16995/zygon.11615

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/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 

22 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

21 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

19 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

Eilidh Forster. Evaluating the lifecycle sustainability of forestry value chains. Co-supervised with Dave Styles.

Amy Gresham. Exploring novel techniques to quantify habitat use, diet, and ecological effects of deer, with a focus on fallow deer (Dama dama) in the Elwy Valley, North Wales. Co-supervised with Graeme Shannon, Markus Eichhorn and Si Creer. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/63257514/08_2023_Gresham_AG_PhD.pdf

Owain Barton.  Assessing landscape-scale patterns of activity and habitat-use by fallow deer (Dama dama) in the Elwy Valley region of North Wales, UK. Co-supervised with Graeme Shannon and Line Cordes. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/56175331/2023_BartonO_phd.pdf

Anita Weissflog. The role of plant-fungus and plant-insect interactions in the dynamics of secondary and mature tropical rainforests. Co-supervised with Lars Markesteijn, Bangor University, and Bettina Engelbrecht, Univsity of Bayreuth.  https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/49273336/2022_WeissflogA_phd.pdf 

Charlotte Smith. A multi-scale assessment of the regrowth potential of secondary forests in the Brazilian Amazon. Co-supervised with Jos Barlow and Paul Young, Lancaster University and Naomi Schwartz University of British Columbia. http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/-(df6b696e-cc3b-4168-8073-7cb83619bffc).html

Helen Ford. Widening our view of the reef: the landscape ecology of disturbance and recovery on Pacific coral reefs. Co-supervised with Gareth Williams, Bangor University, and Nick Graham, Lancaster University.

Valentino Marini Govigli. Modelling socio-ecological interactions of sacred forests in northern Greece. Co-supervised with John Halley, University of Ioannina; and Jenny Wong, Bangor University. https://freader.ekt.gr/eadd/index.php?doc=48375 

Caren Dymond. Disturbance and climate change risks to forest carbon sinks and potential management responses. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/22184099/Dymond_final_thesis_for_publication.pdf

Relena Ribbons. Seeing the forest for the trees: Tree species effects on soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling dynamics. Co-supervised with Morag McDonald and Andy Smith, Bangor University; Lars Vesterdal, Copenhagen University; and Cindy Prescott, University of British Columbia. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20569600/null

Syed Rahman. Incorporation of trees in smallholder land use system: Farm characteristics, rates of return and policy issues influencing farmer adoption. Co-supervised with Jette Bredahl Jacobsen and Jens Friis Lund, University of Copenhagen; and Terry Sunderland, CIFOR. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20569830/null 

Lucia Morales Barquero. Beyond carbon accounting: A landscape perspective on measuring and monitoring tropical forest degradation. Co-supervised with Christoph Kleinn, University of Göttingen; Margaret Skutsch, National Autonomous University of Mexico. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20566655/null

Fausto Bolom-Ton. Factors affecting variation in forest community characteristics and leaf-litter decomposition in tropical montane forest of Chiapas, Mexico: a functional ecology approach. Co-supervised with Bryan Finnegan, CATIE. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20570337/null

Géraldine Derroire. Secondary succession in tropical dry forests: Drivers and mechanisms of forest regeneration. Co-supervised with Per Christer Oden and Mulualem Tigabu, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20579765/null

Fritz Kleinschroth. Roads in the rainforests: Legacy of selective logging in Central Africa. Evaluating the temporal and spatial dynamics of logging road networks. Co-supervised with Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury and Plinio Sist, CIRAD, Montpellier. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20578259/null

Desalegn Desissa. Fragmentated forests in south-western Ethiopia: implications of land-use change on plant species composition and priorities for future conservation. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20577295/null

Jimena Esquivel Sheik. Plant traits and litter decomposition of tree species naturally regenerating in Central America pasturelands. Co-supervised with Bryan Finegan, CATIE. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20578534/null

Martin Noponen. Carbon and economic performance of coffee agroforestry systems in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Co-supervised with Gareth Edwards-Jones; and Jeremy Haggar and Gabriela Soto, CATIE. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20570051/null

Deirdre Ninaber. Improved control of Rhododendron ponticum for environmental management. Co-supervised with Robert Brook, Bangor University. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20579157/null

Sue Hearn. Perspectives in vegetation monitoring: an evaluation of approaches currently used in the UK. Co-supervised with Morag McDonald, Bangor University. research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/55673985/S_M_HEARN_PhD_2009_OCR.pdf

Myers Paul. Use of woodchip for agricultural livestock bedding. Co-supervised with Davey Jones, Bangor University. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20572007/null

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 

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.

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  • UK commercial forest resources may not match future value chains; Unpredictable supply and demand dynamics in global wood product markets.

    Presented at Forestry facing the future: Markets, Management & Value Chains. Forestry Commission and Institute of Chartered Foresters Webinar Series.

    21 Tach 2024

    Gweithgaredd: Sgwrs wadd (Siaradwr)
  • Effects of natural enemies on seedling community dynamics during the secondary succession of Panamanian rainforests

    Insect herbivores and fungal pathogens alter seedling performance, abundance, and diversity in mature forests. Their role in secondary succession, i.e., rainforest recovery, remains however understudied. Interactions between plants and their natural enemies could drive successional shifts in seedling community composition if they vary with plant functional type (PFT) and species’ local abundance or favor unrelated successors. We present two research projects on the impact of natural enemies on successional seedling community dynamics across two Panamanian chronosequences.

    First, we conducted greenhouse experiments to assess how soil successional age (0-, 15-, 25-, 115-yrs) affects fungal-mediated plant-soil feedbacks (PSF) on germination and survival of seven tree species. Tree species varied in their association from early- to late-successional forests and their phylogenetic distance to each other. We found lower susceptibility of late-successional species, suggesting a potential decrease in importance of PSFs with increased forest age. Overall, species experienced more positive PSF in soil ages at which they peak in abundance, indicating that species-specific mutualists promote establishment of species at their associated successional stages, potentially slowing down successional turnover. Negative heterospecific PSF decreased with phylogenetic distance, favoring unrelated successors and possibly accelerating diversification.

    Second, an ongoing field experiment explores the effect of insects and fungi on seedling communities in seven forests regrowing for 9, 49, 69, or 99 years. In each forest, three treatments (insecticide, fungicide, water-sprayed control) are applied to 26 1m2 plots each. All woody seedlings (5-130 cm) are identified to species level and grouped into PFT based on growth form (tree, liana) and demographic strategy. We monitor seedling survival and growth biannually for two years.

    Integrating findings of our greenhouse and field studies will advance our understanding of successional and PFT-specific variation in the effects of natural enemies on seedling communities, which play a crucial role in shaping future forest composition and diversity.

    19 Meh 2024

    Cysylltau:

    Gweithgaredd: Cyflwyniad llafar (Siaradwr)
  • Challenges in determining the biodiversity impact of timber in construction

    25 Ion 2024

    Gweithgaredd: Sgwrs wadd (Siaradwr)
  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), UK (Sefydliad allanol)

    Member of Trees and Woodlands Scientific Advisory Group: The Trees and Woodlands Scientific Advisory Group (TAW-SAG) provides independent advice to support woodland creation and improve woodland management.

    Ion 2024 – Maw 2025

    Cysylltau:

    Gweithgaredd: Aelodaeth o bwyllgor (Aelod)

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PHDS COMPLETED BEFORE 2009

James Walmsley. Whole tree harvesting and wood ash recycling to forests: case studies in upland Sitka spruce in Wales. Co-supervised with Davey Jones

Neal Hockley. Cost-benefit analysis of global environmental issues: a case study of biodiversity conservation in Madagascar. Co-supervised with Gareth Edwards-Jones

Tomas Easdale. Comparative morphologies and life histories amongst montane tree species in north-western Argentina.

Christa Backmeroff. Dendroecology, history and dynamics of mixed woodlands at the upper timberline of the central Italian Alps. Co-supervised with Pietro Piussi (University of Florence)

Sandra Williams. Interaction between components of rubber agroforestry systems in Indonesia. Co-supervised with Meine van Noordwijk (World Agroforestry)

Kate Hardwick. Tree colonization of abandoned agricultural clearings in seasonal tropical montane forest in Northern Thailand. Co-supervised with Stephen Elliott (Chiang Mai University)

John Tay. Economic assessment of reduced impact logging in Sabah, Malaysia. Co-supervised with Colin Price

Nouhou Ndam. Tree regeneration, vegetation dynamics and the maintenance of biodiversity on Mount Cameroon: the relative impact of natural and human disturbance.

RESEARCH MASTERS COMPLETED

Owain Barton. Modelling an expanding roe deer population in Wales. Co-supervised with Graeme Shannon

Sk. Ahiul Islam. Effect of tree spacing on form and phenology of sycamore and red alder. Co-supervised with Zewge Teklehaimanot

Penny Fraser. Niche differentiation in the seeds and seedlings of the Mount Cameroon tree flora.

Laura Hughes. Dissolved organic nitrogen in temperate forest and Arctic soils. Co-supervised with Davey Jones

Responsibilities within BU

Bangor lead for the Envision NERC Doctoral Training Partnership

Qualifications and Membership of Professional Bodies

BA Botany (University of Oxford)

PhD (University of Cambridge)

Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters