• Summary & Conclusion
• part 1
• part 2
• part 3
• part 4
• sitemap

THE STATE OF SCOTLAND'S FARMED ENVIRONMENT 2005

9. FORESTRY AND FARM WOODLAND

History

After the last ice age, woodland recolonised much of Scotland . The reduction of natural woodland began about 4,000 years ago with land clearing for farming and grazing. From the 17 th century, the demands of timber for industrial purposes increased (SNH, 1993). The total woodland area in Scotland reached a low around the beginning of the 20 th century. Since then it has steadily increased with an increase in the proportion of conifers. New planting of woodland peaked in 1988/1989, when 25,000 ha of new woodland were created per year. Since then new planting has declined to below 6,000 ha in 2004 (Scottish Executive, 2005). Half of the UK 's forests are in Scotland , but Scotland is still one of the least wooded countries in Europe .

Table 9.1: Area and types of woodland in Scotland 1913 – 2005

	1913	1924	1947	1965	1980	1995	2005
Area (000 ha)		435	513	656	920	1,282	1,334**
% of total land	4.4*	5.5	6.5	8.3	11.7	16.3	17.0**
Conifers % of total land		3.2*			10.6*	13.5*	13.4**
Broadleaves % of total land		2.3*			1.1*	2.8*	3.6**

Source: Forestry Commission (2005), in Key Scottish Environment Statistics
* SNH (2001)
** Forestry Commission (2005)

After a steady increase over the last century, 17% of Scotland ’s total land area is woodland in 2005 .

General >>

 

Updated: 23 January 2024

© The James Hutton Institute. All rights reserved.

Staff services