This Palgrave Pivot offers an original, historically grounded perspective of British and Irish involvement in ecological landscapes. Contemporary concerns over woodland landscapes and the management of these precious ecological habitats have generated a powerful political demand for reforestation and conservation. Debates over these environmental policies have largely taken place without an awareness of the historical contexts that helped to create these landscapes. Based on original archival research into several case studies, this book explores the social, economic, cultural and political forces that have created British and Irish woodlands.

Annie Tindley is Professor of British and Irish Rural History at Newcastle University, UK. 

Andrew Phemister is Lecturer in British and Irish History at King’s College London, UK.