Requirement of a Forestry and Woodland Strategy (FWS)

A FWS can be prepared either singly or jointly in collaboration with other planning authorities.

Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (legislation.gov.uk)

Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 (legislation.gov.uk)

The legal requirements for FWS are that it must:

• identify woodlands of high nature conservation value in the planning authority's area, and
• set out the planning authority's policies and proposals in their area, as to:
  • the development of forestry and woodlands
  • the protection and enhancement of woodlands, in particular those of high nature conservation value
  • the resilience to climate change of woodlands, again in particular those of high nature conservation value
  • the expansion of woodlands of a range of types to provide multiple benefits to the physical, cultural, economic, social and environmental characteristics of the area
  • any other matter which the planning authority considers appropriate

Taken together, a robust and defendable understanding of ‘woodlands of high conservation value’ could therefore be:

• native woodland
• ancient woodland and ancient semi-natural woodland
• ancient woodland remnants within a ‘Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites’ (PAWS)
• ancient and veteran trees
• hedgerows and individual trees of high biodiversity value
• woodland that is integral to the value of designated or special sites (Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)
• Special Protection Areas (SPAs)
• Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
• Ramsar sites
• National Nature Reserves (NNRs)
• woodland in areas that support priority habitats and species named on the Scottish Biodiversity List
• woodland that is part of a Scheduled Monument or National Scenic Area
• woodland that is listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes
• woodland that is critical to water catchment management or erosion control

Planning authorities (and all other public authorities in Scotland) also have a duty to promote sustainable forest management under Section 2(2) of the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 - it is expected this will be reflected in their FWS.

Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)

National Planning Framework 4 places the global climate emergency and the nature crisis at the heart of decision-making in Scotland’s planning system. 

Policy 6: Forestry, Woodland and Trees strengthens the role of planning in supporting:

• the delivery of forestry commitments
• the contribution the sector and woodland expansion make to net zero
• reversing biodiversity decline
• a growing economy

National Planning Framework 4 (Scottish Government website)

NPF4 Policy 6 sets out that Local Development Plans (LDP) should be supported and informed by an up-to-date FWS. 

Further advice on how a FWS should contribute to the LDP process can be found in the Scottish Government’s Local Development Planning guidance.

Local development planning guidance (Scottish Government website)

It is expected that, where available, the LDP Evidence Report should be informed by an up-to-date FWS for the area.

A FWS should support and inform the Plan’s proposals for forestry, woodland and trees in its area, including: 

• their development, protection and enhancement
• their resilience to climate change
• the expansion of a range of woodland types to provide multiple benefits