Chamber and committees

The Forestry Grant Scheme continues to offer support for native woodland management and expansion. Overall the grants available for the management of existing native woodland have not decreased.

However, changes to different elements, including the standard costs, of the Forestry Grant Scheme means that the total grant support available for individual schemes may now differ from that which would have been available under the previous Scottish Rural Development Programme.

The Scottish Government has stated its commitment to reviewing the Scottish Forestry Strategy (SFS) during the period of the current Land Use Strategy (2016-2021). The review will aim to ensure the SFS reflects changing priorities and aligns with that key Strategy and other Scottish Government policies.

The proportion of conditional stand-alone felling licenses which contain a restocking condition issued since 1 April 2012 is 97%. In addition 100% of forest plans which include a felling license have a requirement to restock.

The selection criteria for projects having significant effects on the environment are detailed in Schedule 3 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) (Scotland) Regulations 1999. These criteria include the characteristics and location of the project and the characteristics of the potential impact on the environment, such as probability, duration and reversibility of the impact.

The Scottish Government, through planning policy, encourages planning authorities to prepare forestry and woodland strategies, in consultation with stakeholders, to inform the development of forests and woodlands in relation to other land uses within their area. In 2010, Forestry Commission Scotland published The Right Tree in the Right Place, providing guidance on the development of forestry and woodland strategies. These regional forestry and woodland strategies are used to inform the suitability of applications to the Scotland Rural Development Programme Forestry Grant Scheme.

In addition, Forestry Commission Scotland published guidance in 2013 that requires specific measures to be taken when considering ‘larger or more sensitive’ woodland creation proposals on farmland. These measures include informing those managing neighbouring land of the proposal and requesting advice from the local Rural Payments and Inspections Division office on the local patterns of agriculture.

Forest Enterprise Scotland, an agency of Forestry Commission Scotland, manages Scotland’s National Forest Estate (NFE) on behalf of Scottish Ministers. FES uses - at a national level - the National Strategic Directions publication, which sets out how the conservation of biodiversity is delivered across the NFE in line with the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act (2004). In prioritising biodiversity related work programmes, Forest Enterprise Scotland is guided by the Scottish Forestry Strategy, as well as the biodiversity guidelines contained within the UK Forestry Standard. The actions taken, and progress achieved, are reported annually in the published Forest Commission Scotland Annual Review, as required by the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011). In addition, the independent certification of the NFE under the UK Woodland Assurance Standard provides assurance that the management of biodiversity on the estate follows industry best practice.

The delivery of Scottish Biodiversity Strategy objectives on the NFE also contributes to the international biodiversity targets set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy and in the Convention on Biological Diversity's Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (Aichi targets). To ensure that the EU Habitats and Birds Directives are met, all nature conservation features of special interest on designated sites on the NFE are also monitored in collaboration with Scottish Natural Heritage under the national Site Condition Monitoring programme.

The cumulative impact of projects is taken into account during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) determination screening phase. Information on existing woodland creation projects is recorded and is available to Forestry Commission Scotland staff and the public through the publically available web browsers at the following: http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/supporting/communication-consultation/map-viewer-guidance

Schedule 3 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) (Scotland) Regulations 1999, states the Selection Criteria for Projects having significant effects on the environment – this includes the characteristics and location of the project. The procedures used by Forestry Commission Scotland are contained in the published guidance available at the following website: http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/images/corporate/pdf/EIAGeneral09.pdf

Forestry Commission Scotland Internal Audit services are used to test for compliance with procedures under the Environmental Impact Assessment legislation. The last audit was carried out in 2014 and this gave substantial assurance that guidance was being complied with and that objectives were being achieved.

The Scottish Government requires that all new woodland planting schemes, funded under the Scottish Rural Development Programme Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS), comply with the UK Forestry Standard and its Forest and Biodiversity Guidelines. Under the FGS applicants can propose to deliver specific biodiversity outcomes. Those applications are monitored to ensure that the biodiversity-related works the applicant proposed are completed. Site inspections are on a sample basis. A failure to carry out the required works can result in a breach of the FGS terms and conditions and monies may be recovered.