- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much money from the Forestry Grant Scheme has been spent on (a) native woodland primarily for conservation benefits and (b) commercial forestry primarily for timber production, in each year since 2021-22.
Answer
Well managed productive forestry plantations, along with native woodlands managed for habitat conservation, all provide environmental benefits. The Forestry Grant Scheme has committed £183.8m of support for woodland creation and sustainable forest management since 2021-22. £69.8m of this funding has supported solely native woodland creation and management, with the remaining £114m spent on activities supporting woodland creation and sustainable forest management across both native and productive woodlands. This includes sums on deer management, which takes place across both native and productive woodlands.
| FGS Commitment for Native Woodland Creation and Management (£) | FGS Commitments for Woodland Creation and Management (native and non-native, productive and non-productive ) (£) | Total FGS Commitment for Woodland Creation and Management (£) |
2021 | £14.9m | £29.4m | £44.3m |
2022 | £12.5m | £27.3m | £39.8m |
2023 | £23.4m | £31.3m | £54.7m |
2024 | £19.0m | £26.0m | £45.0m |
Total | £69.8m | £114.0m | £183.8m |
Table 1