Scotland is ideal for tree growth, thanks to its mild winters, plentiful rainfall, fertile soil and hill-sheltered topography. As of 2019 about 18.5% of the country was wooded. Although this figure is well below the European Union (EU) average of 43%, it represents a significant increase compared to the figure of 100 years previously: in 1919 (at the end of the Great War) it was estimated that only 5% of the country's total land area was covered in forest. The Scottish Government's Draft Climate Change Plan has set an aim of increasing coverage to 21% of Scotland by 2032, with the rate of afforestation rising to 15,000 hectares per year by 2024.
Approximately 4,700 km2 of Scotland's forests and woodlands are publicly owned by the Scottish Government via Forestry and Land Scotland, and these are termed the National Forest Estate. As of 2015, forestry contributed almost £1 billion to the Scottish economy, and the industry employed over 25,000 people. W
Community Woodlands Association[edit | edit source]
- Community Woodlands Association, helping communities connect to their woodland. 200 members most of whom are community groups owning or managing woodland in Scotland. added 12:00, 26 October 2023 (UTC), VIDEO: Community Woodlands Association channel on youtube.com
Glen Finglas[edit | edit source]
- Glen Finglas: a 25 year transformation, woodlandtrust.org.uk, added 13:36, 29 October 2021 (UTC)
- Woodland Trust Scotland, link checked 15:20, 1 September 2021 (UTC)
Reforesting Scotland[edit | edit source]
Reforesting Scotland is a membership organisation concerned with the ecological and social regeneration of Scotland. It aims to significantly increase the forested areas of the country.
Future plans[edit | edit source]
The Scottish Government's Draft Climate Change Plan was published in 2017 and has set goals for the future of Scottish afforestation. Targets range from the years 2020–2050. This includes a woodland creation target of 12,000 hectares per year by 2020/21, 14,000 hectares by 2022/23 and 15,000 hectares per year by 2024/25. Included in the draft is the 2050 goal of greater ecosystem services through forestation that contributes to natural flood protection, biodiversity improvement and the country's natural capital.
See also[edit | edit source]
- Rewilding Scotland, Trees for Life
- Topic overview: Trees, woodland and forest
- UK context: Trees, woodland and forest UK
External links[edit | edit source]
- Communities For Diverse Forestry on facebook.com, added 14:01, 1 September 2021 (UTC)
- Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest, added 17:42, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
