Is it really about the trees? Exploring the roots of resistance to tree-planting on the Welsh commons

Tavner, Gill and Prager, Katrin (2026) Is it really about the trees? Exploring the roots of resistance to tree-planting on the Welsh commons. Scottish Geographical Journal, 142 (1-2). pp. 98-118. doi:10.1080/14702541.2025.2564998

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Abstract

The UK governments have set ambitious targets for tree-planting as part of their commitments to address climate breakdown and biodiversity loss. Meeting these targets requires the cooperation of farmers, including those farming on common land. The complexity of farmers’ concerns about planting trees, coupled with the specific socio-cultural context of the commons, presents challenges. This interpretative essay begins with an exploration of commoning as culture, conceptualising the commons and how they are contested, before exploring the dynamics of change and stasis. It then narrows its lens to focus on the history of the Welsh commons, identifying a centuries-long struggle for survival against exploitation, displacement and commodification, a struggle extending into the present as new external forces press upon the commons. The arguments are illustrated with a case study on two Welsh upland commons, sites of contestation over woodland creation. This place-based study within the broader discussion reveals a powerful insider/outsider dichotomy and a determined resistance to any force external to the commons. We identify potential for positive change, perhaps on a case-by-case basis, if the ‘pluriversal’ values of commoning could rise to prominence over normative neoliberal concepts. Ultimately, the contestation in Wales is not really about the trees.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Commoning; Transformational change; The commons; Tree-planting on farms; Wales
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) > S589.75 Agriculture and the environment S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) > S589.7 Agricultural ecology (General) S Agriculture > SD Forestry
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > Countryside and Community Research Institute
Depositing User:	Nick Lewis
Date Deposited:	23 Jun 2026 10:45
Last Modified:	24 Jun 2026 08:00
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/15407

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