Our forests and woodlands provide a range of benefits, such as wood for construction and fuel, removing CO2 from the atmosphere, rural employment and a space for recreation.
Woodlands and forests deliver many benefits: fostering and supporting jobs, education and skills development; contributing to the recreation, tourism and health sectors; and offering accessible green space in urban areas.
The Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme (SFGS) - encouraged the creation and management of woods and forests to provide economic, environmental and social benefits.
The Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme (SFGS) - encouraged the creation and management of woods and forests to provide economic, environmental and social benefits.
Following publication of the Scottish Executive’s Scottish Forestry Strategy 'Forests for Scotland' the opportunity was taken to review the Woodland Grant Scheme and the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme and give them a greater Scottish focus. The Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme (SFGS) - encouraged the creation and management of woods and forests to provide economic, environmental and social benefits.
Applicants for Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) funding (eg. Agri-Environment Climate Scheme and Forest Grant Scheme) and/or forestry felling licences must take this information into account when applying for grants or licences.
Scotland’s environment web has created a new working partnership between Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Forestry Commission Scotland to develop a new interactive mapping tool on the their website.
This application provides a visual analysis of the national forest estate managed by Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) – providing information on the trees and forests it manages. The information has a range of valuable uses, for example – economic, environmental and social forest-related decision-making by Forestry Commission Scotland, government, industry and public; helps us meet our national and international forest-related reporting responsibilities; informing planning assessments and decisions when looking at the development of processing industries, regional infrastructure, the effect of forestry related actions on communities.
This dataset applies to Felling Licence Application recieved by the Forestry Commission after 1st January 2012 and administered using Forestry Commission Scotland's Case Management System.
This dataset depicts the five Forestry Commission Scotland Conservancy boundaries.
The Dedication Scheme (Basis I & II) was introduced in 1947 in order to encourage landowners to retain their land in forestry and to introduce good forestry practice. Basis III was introduced in 1974, providing grants for new planting and additional supplements for broadleaves.
This application provides information about the size, distribution and composition of all forests and woodlands in Scotland and is essential for developing and monitoring policies and guidance to support their sustainable management. This application provides a visual analysis for Scotland and it forms part of the wider surveys carried out by the Forestry Commission on forests and woodlands across Great Britain.
This dataset provides an Integrated Habitat Network (IHN) for native woodlands in Scotland. Its purpose is to aid the scoring process when assessing Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) applications made under the SRDP (2014-2020) programme.
The Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) will support: - the creation of new woodlands, contributing towards the Scottish Government target of 10,000 hectares of new woodlands per year - the sustainable management of existing woodlands
This dataset identifies a target area within Highland where higher intervention rates will be paid for native woodland creation through Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) applications made under the SRDP (2014-2020) programme.
Many organisations and individuals require specific geographical information relating to Scotland’s rural landscape. Now an effective web-based mapping application has been developed by Forestry Commission Scotland and partners, providing people in the rural community with efficient and detailed access to large volumes of data - saving time, effort and money.
This dataset is derived from data supplied the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and is based on information from the BTO Bird Atlas 2007-11. Forestry Commission Scotland would like to thanks BTO for their approval to use this data.
This dataset identifies the highest priority areas for rhododendron control as defined by the red and orange areas on the map. Applications for areas out with the red and orange areas will need to make the case for being funded (e.g. by including a letter of support from Forestry Commission Scotland or Scottish Natural Heritage).
This option aims to improve the biodiversity, resilience and species diversity of woodlands in the long term. This will be achieved through restructuring their age and species composition at the point of re-planting following felling. Restructuring Scotland’s woodlands will help deliver against the outcomes in the Scottish Forestry Strategy.
This option aims to improve the biodiversity, resilience and species diversity of woodlands in the long term. This will be achieved through restructuring their age and species composition at the point of re-planting following felling. Restructuring Scotland’s woodlands will help deliver against the outcomes in the Scottish Forestry Strategy.
This dataset defines the area where there is a potential for increased costs associated with erecting deer fences. This should be used when assessing Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) applications made under the SRDP (2014-2020) programme. This item can be used for all of Woodland Creation options. Justification of costs may be required.
Forest Plans were introduced for landowners planning to carry out felling, restocking and thinning in their woodlands over a 20 year period. The Forestry Commission provided a grant to help prepare a plan (Plan Preparation Grant) and owners can claim restocking grants set at the same rate as the Woodland Grant Scheme (1999 - 2003) or Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme (2003 - 2006).
The Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS) provides incentives for people to create and manage woodlands on sites all over Great Britain. The Forestry Commission pays grants for establishing and looking after woodlands and forests. To qualify for grant the applicant must meet the standards of environmental protection and practice set out in the Forestry Commission’s guidelines. WGS1 operated between June 1988 and June 1991.
The Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS) provides incentives for people to create and manage woodlands on sites all over Great Britain. The Forestry Commission pays grants for establishing and looking after woodlands and forests. WGS2 operated between June 1991 and September 1994.
The Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS) provides incentives for people to create and manage woodlands on sites all over Great Britain. The Forestry Commission pays grants for establishing and looking after woodlands and forests. WGS3 was launched during September 1994 and was closed for new applications in Scotland in February 2003.
This dataset defines the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) Core and Fringe zone contribution areas. This forms part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) 2014 - 2020 Forestry Grant Scheme. The data is based on the Scottish Governments Urban/Rural Classification 2011/12 dataset which classifies postcode areas according to settlement size and drive times to settlements.
Blog on the Restoration of the Beltie Burn by the Dee Partnership Group
In this instalment we take a closer look at what the Scotland’s environment partners are doing to help protect and improve our forests and woodlands, and how you can get involved.
Scotland’s woodlands and forests support a wide range of important plants and animals. Rare and threatened species are more often found in and around semi-natural woodlands, but many have also colonised planted forests.
Scotland’s environment web is underpinned by a multi-agency partnership, committed to sharing data and skills and exploiting web based digital opportunities.
Increasing amounts of data are being published and shared to improve our understanding, inform decision making, and underpin research. Here are links to recommended sources of trusted and authoritative data.
Scotland’s environment web partners have produced a range of useful maps that will help you find trusted and authoritative data.
The 2011 state of the environment report provides an authoritative and impartial assessment of the state of the Scotland’s environment. Many of the public bodies who are responsible for regulating and improving the environment, worked together for the first time, to describe the condition of our environment
The Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) Programme provides the focus for Forestry Commission Scotland’s work on improving quality of life in towns and cities
This interactive map service contains the following Forestry Commission National Forest Estate data layers
Task Check sheet used to guide volunteers through usability testing of the new Land Information Search application.
The 2014 state of the environment report provides an assessment of Scotland’s environment and how it is changing. It is based on assessments that have used data from a wide range of sources. It was written by expert authors from different environmental organisations.
Ecosystem health indicators are measures which help us to understand where action should be taken to restore ecosystem health and associated benefits.
Anyone wishing to fell trees must ensure that a licence or permission under a grant scheme has been issued by the Forestry Commission before any felling is carried out or that one of the exceptions apply.
The Woodlands In and Around Towns (WIAT) programme provides the focus for Forestry Commission Scotland's work on improving quality of life in towns and cities. This dataset relates to the second phase of the WIAT programme which started in April 2008.
All organisations hold information about the core of their business. The Forestry Commission holds information on trees and forests. We use this information to help us run our business and make decisions.
Scotland's wetlands are home to a wide range of plants and animals. They also provide important environmental functions such as storing carbon and sustaining the supply of clean water.
Finding information, data visualisation & connectivity through usability tasks - Looking at Land Information Search map tool themes, comments and actions on Scotland's environment web
Scotland’s woodlands and forests are a vital national resource and play an important role in rural development and sustainable land use.
This option aims to bring native woodland back into active management by excluding livestock. It aims to encourage applicants to: - establish natural regeneration - carry out appropriate management of native woodlands - restore Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites - restore biodiversity and enhance priority habitats for priority species and designated sites
Low impact silvicultural systems are a type of woodland management that helps to increase species and structural diversity. It normally causes less rapid change to the landscape and to the physical environment than clear felling systems and so can help the landowner meet multi-purpose objectives.
This option aims to provide support for the management of rural woodlands for public access. Support is provided to assist with the ongoing maintenance of paths that promote the use of woodlands for health benefits.
Management Plans provided a simpler alternative to Forest Plans for woodlands under 100 hectares. They are required as part of the eligibility criteria for SRDP RDC-RP grants.
Management Plans provided a simpler alternative to Forest Plans for woodlands under 100 hectares. They are required as part of the eligibility criteria for SRDP RDC-RP grants. However no grant payments are available for the preperation of management plans.
This option provides support to prevent the spread of Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum). This option helps with the restoration of forests affected by P. ramorum by supporting the work to remove affected trees and carry out subsequent replanting.
Scotland’s woodlands and forests are a vital national resource and play an important role in rural development and sustainable land use. As well as helping to reduce the impacts of climate change and providing timber for industry, our forests enhance and protect the environment and provide opportunities for public enjoyment.
This dataset identifies new and upgraded footpaths grant aided under the FGS WIG WIAT Option.
Scotland’s woodlands and forests are a vital national resource and play an important role in rural development and sustainable land use. As well as helping to reduce the impacts of climate change and providing timber for industry, our forests enhance and protect the environment and provide opportunities for public enjoyment.
The aims of this option are to: - maintain native woodland - bring native woodlands and designated woodland features into good ecological condition - restore Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites to native woodland through deer control and the natural regeneration Native woodlands include a range of habitat types that are all UK priority habitats, while some are also European priority types.
Scotland’s woodlands and forests are a vital national resource and play an important role in rural development and sustainable land use. As well as helping to reduce the impacts of climate change and providing timber for industry, our forests enhance and protect the environment and provide opportunities for public enjoyment.
The aim of this FGS option is to support the targeted control of grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in areas where they are a threat to red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) populations.
Woodland Creation forms part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) 2007 - 2013. The SRDP is a programme of economic, environmental and social measures, utilising some €680m of European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development funding plus Scottish Government match funding. The current programme is designed to support rural Scotland from 2007 to 2013. Individuals and groups may seek funding to help deliver the Government's strategic objectives in rural Scotland.
This interactive map service contains the following Forestry Commission National Forest Estate data layers:- National Forest Estate - Forest Parks National Forest Estate - Roads National Forest Estate - Sub-compartments National Forest Estate - Legal Boundary National Forest Estate - Ownership National Forest Estate - Recreation Points National Forest Etstae - Recreation Routes National Forest Estate - Recreation Areas Galloway Dark Skies Park The layers can be switched on and off independently of each other. Forestry Commission Scotland would like to thank Scottish Natural Heritage for their co-operation in hosting this web service on behalf of FCS.
Working closely with local communities, the project is seeking to improve conditions for red squirrels across Scotland, and combat the spread of the non-native grey squirrel.
The areas defined in this dataset can help support predator control to benefit capercaillie which are vulnerable to predation.
This option aims to provide support for the sustainable management of urban woodlands for public access. Urban woodlands are those located within one kilometre of settlements with a population of over 2000 people. Support is provided to ensure the management of the woodland achieves the Woods In and Around Towns Management Standard.
With 18% of land in Scotland covered by woodland, and our forests contributing significantly to the wellbeing of our economy, wildlife and our own lives, we certainly have good cause to celebrate.
This year sees the fourth national invasive species week, which runs from 23 to 29 March 2018. Many of our partners are involved in tackling and managing invasive non-native species (INNS) in Scotland, and in this blog Jo Long from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) explain a bit more about this work.
Covering 16,500 hectares, The Great Trossachs Forest is the legacy project of the Scottish Forest Alliance and is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland and Woodland Trust Scotland. Since 2006, more than 2 million native trees have been planted, which, along with ancient woodlands, wood pasture and are other important woodland habitats, are creating a natural mosaic of more than 4,400 hectares of connected woods.
The Woodlands In and Around Towns (WIAT) programme provides the focus for Forestry Commission Scotland's work on improving quality of life in towns and cities. This dataset relates to the second phase of the WIAT programme which started in April 2008. This dataset contains the Car Parks of approved WIAT applications. Additionally there are datasets which show the location of the boundary and footpaths of WIAT applications.
The Woodland Carbon Code (www.forestry.gov.uk/carboncode) is the standard for UK woodland creation projects where carbon is accounted for. It is managed by the Forestry Commission. All projects have to register, and are publicly available on the UK Woodland Carbon Registry, managed by Markit (www.markit.com/product/registry). Once registered, they are validated at the outset and then verified at regular intervals throughout the project to check the amount of carbon sequestered, and that the project is sustainably managed.
As an Orcadian, my appreciation of trees and their various benefits, or even the fact that they existed as an important component of the countryside, came comparatively late to me.
The NFI definition of woodland is a minimum area of 0.5 hectares under stands of trees with, or with the potential to achieve, tree crown cover of more than 20% of the ground.
After a year of user analysis, development and user testing, we are pleased to announce the release of the newly updated website. Changes and improvements have been made in response to users’ needs for improved access to data and information to help day-to-day decision making.
The Woodlands In and Around Towns (WIAT) programme provides the focus for Forestry Commission Scotland's work on improving quality of life in towns and cities. This dataset relates to the second phase of the WIAT programme which started in April 2008. This dataset contains new and upgraded footpaths from approved WIAT applications. Additionally there are datasets which show the case boundary and car parks for WIAT applications. Additional information on WIAT can be found in the overall WIAT boundary dataset metadata which gives details on eligibility criteria and further details on the overall programme. Further details can also be found using the Dataset Documentation link within this metadata document.
A native woodland condition indicator has been developed using measures from the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) survey that are relevant to every unit area of native woodland, and can indicate ecological health or condition in relation to biodiversity, no matter what the age or type of native woodland.
“The future of landscape-scale conservation is not just about delivering more, bigger, better and joined up nature reserves. It is also about winning hearts and minds.” Sir John Lawton Landscape-scale conservation involves working in collaboration at a big scale to deliver more benefits for the environment and people.
Identify the presence and location of a range of features and environmentally sensitive areas that fall directly within your area of interest and within a buffer zone. You can search for points of interest on a map using either a point, a line, a circle, or by drawing more detailed shapes to represent your area.
Data analysis applications present data in an interactive format of graphs, tables and maps. Export data views as images, CSV files and PDF documents for use in reports and presentations
Read about the latest environmental news in Scotland and keep up to date with the latest news from Scotland's environment web and our partners.
Mention 'Scotland' and 'history' to anyone and they'll no doubt have images of castles, kilted warriors and Nessie running through their minds. And while these are all notable parts of our heritage, they are by no means all we have to offer.
Today is World Soil Day. So it seems fitting that we bring you a blog all about the Scotland's soils website, which is one of the websites that forms the 'part of Scotland's environment' network. To tell us more about the website, we asked Karen Dobbie, Principal Soil Scientist at SEPA and part of the team responsible for the Scotland’s soils website. This is what she had to say.
A spotlight on Scotland’s Biodiversity is the title of the two-day conference at the Royal Society of Edinburgh running yesterday and today – and that’s what we’ll be doing in our blog over the coming month; shining a spotlight on biodiversity in Scotland. This is the first blog in a series of features by Scotland's enbironment web and our partners about biodiversity.
People are part of ecosystems. We benefit from the services they provide from clean water to the health benefits of a walk in the woods. Ecosystem health is a measure of the status of ecosystems.
Search, discover and view spatial environmental data, features, and sites of interest from many different sources, on useful applications that can help you make informed decisions.
Scotland's environment supports a wide and diverse range of species, and consists of a complex mosaic of habitats which makes up our rich and varied landscape.
This month Willie takes us on a trip to his old stomping grounds of Sutherland and shares his thoughts on the changes he's seen over his career as a soil scientist.
The partnership in charge of looking after the river Dee catchment in north east Scotland is a finalist in the Nature of Scotland Awards.
In this blog we introduce you to the 'part of Scotland's environment' network of websites and explain more about how they provide access to trusted and authoritative data and information.
Looking at the importance of getting out and about in Scotland's environment and the benefits to mental and physical health as a result. Also looks at what partner organisations are doing to contribute to the health agenda.
Terrestrial breeding birds are a good indicator of overall biodiversity. Birds respond quickly to variation in habitat quality, through changes in breeding output, survival or dispersal.
Guest blog from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) on the exciting new addition to our website of the Habitat Map of Scotland, a great new composite map tool, pulling together habitat and land use data to help support policy and management decisions, and the Ecosystem health indicators section, providing valuable information on the status of our ecosystems.