Star Wars impact on woodland to be studied

Puzzlewood has been used for many productions including Star Wars and Merlin

Researchers have begun studying the environmental impacts of Star Wars location shooting in a Gloucestershire woodland.

Puzzlewood, in the Forest of Dean, was an important filming location for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, just over a decade ago.

The Open University's Environmental Impact of Filming project is asking for the experiences, both positive and negative, of those who lived and worked around the area at the time.

The project aims to help studios and filmmakers to adopt more eco-friendly production practices.

Puzzlewood has been used as a filming location in productions as varied as Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Merlin and The Secret Garden

Dr Rebecca Harrison, the lead academic on the project, explained the study was interested in all aspects of people's filming experiences.

She said the study was "really interested" in the filmmakers' impact upon the surrounding area, whether they had affected different communities, whether nature or wildlife had been impacted, as well as what differences people noticed while the shoot was going on.

Dr Harrison said the aim was to "try and help other filmmakers to find better, more sustainable ways of working in the future".

The Gloucestershire location is one of the 14 sites Dr Harrison is studying across the UK, but she added each site had its own considerations.

"For the area around Puzzlewood, [we're looking to hear from] people who couldn't get there to visit the forest or felt that they were shut out of a space they enjoyed.

'Habitat loss'

"It could be people who were working on agricultural land nearby, dog walkers, people looking at nature - anyone and everyone who has observed something about filming, I'm interested in speaking to."

She added: "One of the areas we are particularly interested in is wildlife. Even the tiniest bit of disruption can lead to habitat loss. We're really keen to make sure that we're not losing any more for the excitement of seeing locations on screen."

A divide between towns and rural areas was also noted in the study's early responses.

Dr Harrison added: "In a lot of the more rural locations, things went quite well.

"But in towns we have sometimes had a few people saying - it was a bit frustrating, roads were closed, we couldn't get kids to school - it's been quite mixed depending on the place where filming has happened."

The location study is the fourth and final piece of research being conducted as part of the project, with earlier studies on Star Wars props and costumes having been already completed.