A new ‘walkthrough’ guide to creating woodlands as part of the national drive to boost tree planting in Scotland has been published.
The guide, aimed at small-scale farmers and landowners, breaks down the process of preparing a woodland creation application.
It helps to assess if the land is suitable for tree planting, through to preparing and submitting an application for a forestry grant.
Around 80% of all approved woodland creation applications are from small to medium sized projects – mainly farmers or crofters.
John Dougan, of Scottish Forestry, said the new guide aims to remove barriers for farmers wishing to plant more woodland.
“Feedback suggests that some of these smaller landowners may be finding the learning curve in creating new woodlands a bit daunting at first," he added.
“Creating new woodlands, both large and small can have a positive impact in the green recovery of Scotland.
"It plays an important part in the recovery from the pandemic by supporting the economy, jobs and contributes greatly in the fight against climate change.”
The new Preparing Woodland Creation Applications guide is also accompanied by a simplified small woodlands operational plan.
This can be used to support all grant applications up to 5 hectares in size.
