Introducing the Forest of Biologists

The Forest of Biologists is a living and growing forest that has been created as part of a new biodiversity initiative that celebrates the contributions of authors and peer reviewers to the journals of The Company of Biologists.

For each published Research Article or Review article, a tree is planted in a UK forest. The Company is also funding the restoration and preservation of ancient woodland and dedicating these trees to its peer reviewers. All these trees are also represented together in a virtual forest. For every new piece of research, the forest grows.

Claire Moulton, Publisher at The Company of Biologists explained the reasons behind this initiative: “Our focus on the creation, restoration and preservation of precious woodland habitats reflects widespread concern among biologists worldwide about climate change and a global decline in biodiversity.

"After nearly 100 years of publishing journals, facilitating scientific meetings and providing charitable grants to support our communities, we want to play our part in supporting biology too. In linking this initiative to our authors and peer reviewers, we also wanted to acknowledge the extraordinary support we receive from the communities that embrace our journals – Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms, and Biology Open.”

The Company of Biologists acknowledges that as they aim to make a positive difference, it is important that actions are directed and evaluated by science. The Company has therefore chosen to work with the Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity focusing on the role that trees and woods play in tackling the threats of climate change and nature loss.

John Tucker, Woodland Trust Ambassador said: “The nature and climate crises we face require urgent action – and that action needs to be directed and evaluated by science. That’s why we are really excited to be working with The Company of Biologists on both the restoration of ancient woodlands and the creation of new woodlands. Ancient woodland is one of our most biodiverse habitats and using these as the building blocks for woodland and habitat expansion give us the best opportunity to address these crises together.”

Prof. Steven Kelly, Editor-in-Chief of Biology Open and the person who planted the seed that grew into The Forest of Biologists, shares his enthusiasm for the launch: “I believe this is an important step in the evolution of scientific publishing. Now, our author and reviewer contributions to biological knowledge also contribute to the natural world.”

Further information is available at https://forest.biologists.com.