Keith Kirby

Dr. Keith Kirby is a Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford's Department of Biology. With a 33-year career at Natural England and its predecessors until 2012, his research focuses on woodland ecology and conservation, particularly long-term changes in British woodlands. He has resurveyed permanent vegetation plots in Wytham Woods and The Warburg Reserve since the 1970s, analyzing impacts of deer browsing, ash dieback, and oak declines. He leads a consortium producing a forthcoming book on Wytham Woods' ecology (expected late 2025/early 2026) and contributes to the Bunce resurvey project tracking 103 woods over decades.

His work integrates historical ecological data with modern threats, emphasizing wood-pasture systems as models for rewilding and understanding ancient landscapes. He also uses National Forest Inventory data to assess ecological conditions, addressing threats like tree diseases and oak decline patterns.

Contact:

• Email: keith.kirby@biology.ox.ac.uk
• keith.kirby@bnc.oxon.org
• Phone: +44 07557 282711