A new study has found that biodiversity benefits from woodland creation are improved if land managers are able to consider current and historic use of the landscape around proposed sites.

Factors such as the intensity of agriculture and loss of woodland in nearby areas over the course of the previous century can influence which species colonise new woodlands, and the speed at which they arrive.

The UK has set ambitious targets to create hundreds of thousands of hectares of woodland, and researchers say their study underlines why a strategic approach is vital.