Summary
The article was written by:
- Helen Sellars, Head of Sustainable Forest Management at Scottish Forestry
- David Edwards, the Research Impact Coordinator at Forest Research, Great Britain's leading organisation for forestry and tree-related research
Overview
Our forests are vital to the health and wellbeing of our:
- nation
- rural prosperity
- environment
- rural economy
They are also under ever-increasing threat from climate change.
We need our woodlands of the future to survive and prosper, contributing to climate change mitigation and being resilient to the impacts it brings.
We have a successful industry primarily based around a single species that was chosen to deliver the original Forestry Commission objective of ensuring a strategic timber reserve.
Sitka spruce proved to be the most robust and productive conifer for the Scottish climate, and now makes up 43% of the forestry area in Scotland. Sitka and Norway spruce together account for 70–80% of the timber available for harvest in this country
However, the reliance of the industry in Scotland on a single species is a key risk, and as we look to the future we need to review which species are most suitable for the future climate and for the threats it brings.
Routemap to Resilience Strategy and Action Plan
In March 2025, Scottish Forestry published the Routemap to Resilience.
Routemap to Resilience for Scotland's Forests and Woodlands
This sets out the strategic direction for us to achieve the Forestry Strategy’s vision that ‘our woodlands will be a more resilient adaptable resource, with greater natural capital value, that supports a strong economy, a thriving environment, and healthy and flourishing communities.
You can also read Helen's article on building the resilience of Scotland's forests.
Building the resilience of Scotland's forests (article)
Future productive species for Scotland
We also published Scotland’s Future Productive Species list in September 2024. This is the first key action in the Routemap to Resilience.
Future productive species for Scotland
