Macaulay Land Use Research Institute Homepage
About Us | News | Research | Consultancy | Products | Policy Support | Education | Jobs | People | Contact |
Scottish Environment LINK
Scottish Environment LINK - The voice of Scotland's environment movement

THE STATE OF SCOTLAND'S FARMED ENVIRONMENT 2005

9. FORESTRY AND FARM WOODLAND

WOODLAND MANAGEMENT

Woodland is managed by the Forestry Commission, other public bodies (including other government departments and local authorities), and private owners. Only a very small, but growing area can be classed as Farm Woodland (see Table 9.4). The Forestry Commission manages just over a third of woodland in Scotland . The Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme (SFGS) has been developed to implement the Scottish Forestry Strategy.  It aims to encourage the creation and management of woods and forests to provide economic, environmental and social benefits now and in the future. As part of the SFGS th e Farmland Premium scheme offers additional grants for planting trees on land that has

been in agricultural use during the previous three years. Annual payments compensate for

farming income foregone. Grant payments are made for either 10 or 15 years depending on the percentage of broadleaves established within the scheme. To qualify for payments over 15 years, the percentage of broadleaves must be at least 60% at planting and must not subsequently drop below 50%. The RSS and LMCs also provide support for farm woodland management.

51% of Scotland 's woodland area is certified as sustainably managed.

Table 9.4: Woodland on agricultural holdings

 

 1989 1994 1999 2004

'000 ha

97.7

140.8

197.2

239.0

Source: Scottish Executive Statistics (2005)

Following a peak of over 25,000 ha at the end of the 1980s, the area of new planting has declined to 6,793 ha in 2004. The area of new broadleaf plantings by non-Forestry Commission owners, however, shows an exception to the overall trend with an increase from 127 ha in 1985 to a peak of 7,784 ha in 2001 and 4,177 ha in 2004. Broadleaf planting has been encouraged under the Broadleaved Woodland Grant Scheme and its successors, the Woodland Grant Scheme and Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme. The area of forest restocked annually more than doubled between 1985 and 2004. In 2004, the total area restocked was 8,896 ha (Scottish Executive, 2005).

By 2000, about 90 km 2 (0.8% of the total area of plantation) was felled annually. As nearly half of Scotland’s plantations are less than 30 years old, timber production is projected to double between 2000 and 2015 (SNH, 2004).

About a third of Scotland ’s forests are managed by the Forestry Commission. In 2004, the Forestry Commission carried out 90ha of new planting, 34% of which was broadleaved species; non-Forestry Commission owners planted 6,703ha new with 62% broadleaves.

 

SCOTTISH FORESTRY STRATEGY >>