To what extent is the carbon generated by
visitors mitigated by the trees present in
maulden wood?
By …
Image of Maulden Woods
1
,Contents-
Page 3- Introduction
Page 3- The Place
Page 4- Secondary Research
Page 5- Hypothesis
Page 5- Predictions
Page 5- Wider Geographical Context
Page 7- Methodology
Page 10- Risk Assessment
Page 11- Results
Page 14- Data Analysis
Page 17- Ethical Considerations
Page 17- Conclusion
Page 18- Appendix
2
, Chapter one: introduction
Carbon sequestration refers to the capturing and storing of carbon dioxide. Carbon
sequestration can happen due to human influence (carbon capture devices) or due to natural
factors such as trees, soils and bacteria. Around 55% of carbon is sequestered naturally
whilst the other 45% of carbon stays in our atmosphere, however with accelerating
emissions the balance may change as biological sequesters struggle to keep up. Around
25% of emissions have been captured by grasslands, forests and farms, showing how they
play a vital and significant role in the carbon cycle. Forests play two major roles in
sequestering carbon: through the soils and through the trees during photosynthesis.
However, forests do release small amounts of carbon dioxide due to the decomposition of
organic matter.
Carbon gets released into our atmosphere in many ways: burning fossil fuels, mining,
decomposition of organisms, through vehicles and many more. However, human activity
poses more of a threat to the environment, such as the increased use of vehicles and
congestion that occurs
daily. Transport accounts
for 1/5th of carbon dioxide
emissions, whilst road
transport is ¾ of this. This
acceleration in atmospheric
carbon levels poses a
significant challenge due to
the impact on the
environment and climate.
Chapter two: the place
Bedfordshire is a county in the east of England,
located west of Cambridgeshire, with a population of
around 700,000. Maulden Woods is located within
Bedfordshire in a small village called Maulden. The
village of Maulden has a population of around 3200
people.
MauldenWood is a site of scientific interest which is
managed by the Greensand Trust and Forestry
England. It is located in the Greensand Ridge in
Bedfordshire and has a parking area off the side of
the A6 (around a 45 minute drive from Cambridge).
It is a site of scientific interest (SSSI) due to the
abnormal soils (high acidity levels and much of it is
heathland) and large number of animal species.
Maulden Wood also has many ancient trees, which
need to be managed and protected to ensure the forest contains as much carbon as
possible.
I chose to conduct my study in Maulden Woods as it is a site of scientific interest, which
means it is being actively managed and there will be pre-existing data available on it.
Furthermore, it has a greater significance and importance as a geographical site and forest
which makes studying the area more interesting. Additionally, Maulden Woods is one of the
larger forests located near Cambridge, spanning 182.43Ha, which means it has a greater
3
visitors mitigated by the trees present in
maulden wood?
By …
Image of Maulden Woods
1
,Contents-
Page 3- Introduction
Page 3- The Place
Page 4- Secondary Research
Page 5- Hypothesis
Page 5- Predictions
Page 5- Wider Geographical Context
Page 7- Methodology
Page 10- Risk Assessment
Page 11- Results
Page 14- Data Analysis
Page 17- Ethical Considerations
Page 17- Conclusion
Page 18- Appendix
2
, Chapter one: introduction
Carbon sequestration refers to the capturing and storing of carbon dioxide. Carbon
sequestration can happen due to human influence (carbon capture devices) or due to natural
factors such as trees, soils and bacteria. Around 55% of carbon is sequestered naturally
whilst the other 45% of carbon stays in our atmosphere, however with accelerating
emissions the balance may change as biological sequesters struggle to keep up. Around
25% of emissions have been captured by grasslands, forests and farms, showing how they
play a vital and significant role in the carbon cycle. Forests play two major roles in
sequestering carbon: through the soils and through the trees during photosynthesis.
However, forests do release small amounts of carbon dioxide due to the decomposition of
organic matter.
Carbon gets released into our atmosphere in many ways: burning fossil fuels, mining,
decomposition of organisms, through vehicles and many more. However, human activity
poses more of a threat to the environment, such as the increased use of vehicles and
congestion that occurs
daily. Transport accounts
for 1/5th of carbon dioxide
emissions, whilst road
transport is ¾ of this. This
acceleration in atmospheric
carbon levels poses a
significant challenge due to
the impact on the
environment and climate.
Chapter two: the place
Bedfordshire is a county in the east of England,
located west of Cambridgeshire, with a population of
around 700,000. Maulden Woods is located within
Bedfordshire in a small village called Maulden. The
village of Maulden has a population of around 3200
people.
MauldenWood is a site of scientific interest which is
managed by the Greensand Trust and Forestry
England. It is located in the Greensand Ridge in
Bedfordshire and has a parking area off the side of
the A6 (around a 45 minute drive from Cambridge).
It is a site of scientific interest (SSSI) due to the
abnormal soils (high acidity levels and much of it is
heathland) and large number of animal species.
Maulden Wood also has many ancient trees, which
need to be managed and protected to ensure the forest contains as much carbon as
possible.
I chose to conduct my study in Maulden Woods as it is a site of scientific interest, which
means it is being actively managed and there will be pre-existing data available on it.
Furthermore, it has a greater significance and importance as a geographical site and forest
which makes studying the area more interesting. Additionally, Maulden Woods is one of the
larger forests located near Cambridge, spanning 182.43Ha, which means it has a greater
3
