Combined storytelling and mapping approaches for increasing community engagement with woodland creation and expansion projects

1. Forests and woodlands are important for biodiversity, climate change mitigation and the provision of services including recreation, timber and non-timber forest products. Land use policies currently aim to increase forest cover while also maximising the benefits of forests for people and improving community engagement with the process of creation, restoration and expansion. However, these initiatives often suffer from a lack of public support because they do not sufficiently engage with people's emotional connections to their local landscapes or fully consider the diverse views and needs of local communities. 2. We explored the use of two contrasting yet complementary methods (storytelling and participatory mapping) of community engagement, applied to a large-scale tree cover expansion project in the Forth Valley area of Scotland. In a series of workshops, we asked people to discuss the values they attach to woods and trees and what benefits they would like from local woodland expansion and creation. We used thematic analysis to explore the main themes discussed at each workshop type. 3. We found that storytelling approaches led to insights into more emotional, subjective and abstract connections and meaning, while mapping approaches tended to be more focused on practicalities and local needs. Both types of information are crucial for woodland creation and expansion to effectively serve local communities. 4. We then developed an integrative participatory approach that allowed storytelling to be integrated into mapping-based discussions, for a fuller, more holistic impression of community needs in relation to woodland creation and expansion.