Forestry and Woodland Strategy PREMIUM - Scotland

These strategies are a requirement that has now been added into the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2019/13/part/4/crossheading/forestry-and-woodland-strategy/enacted

Most councils already have a FWS and these are normally accompanied by spatial data. Some of the strategies are produced jointly across Councils, e.g. Stirling & Clackmannanshire, Edinburgh & Lothians, Glasgow Clyde Valley.

Generally, the FWS datasets contain similar attribution which identifies the FWS Classification, or the potential areas for woodland expansion. The attribution is usually along the lines of: Preferred, Potential, Sensitive, Unsuitable.

Some of the councils have produced a few layers of data for their FWS which might apply specifically to woodland planting types, e.g. a separate FWS layer for native woodlands or for productive woodlands.

Please note the data has been created using data of different scales (regional/local) and has been created as a high level assessment tool. The data should be viewed NO larger than 1:25000. Identification as a preferred area does not imply automatic approval of woodland planting proposals. Applications will be assessed based on site conditions. To be used in conjunction with the published supplementary guidance.