Managing Impacts - Woodland Colin Edwards Forestry Policy and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Colin Edwards Forestry Policy and Practice Forestry Commission Scotland

Managing Impacts - Woodland

What Impacts?

• The native Woodland Survey of Scotland

(NWSS) identified and surveyed all native, nearly native and ancient woods

• ver 0.5ha in size in Scotland, from

2006-12.

• Native woods were defined as those with

at least half the woodland canopy cover composed of native species.

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• Herbivore Impact score was based on an assessment of:
• ‘browsing rate’ for lead shoots, ‘browse line’, ‘browsing of basal and

epicormic shoots’, ‘bark stripping and fraying’, and ‘shrubs – preferentially browsed’. ‘grazed sward and ‘poached ground’.

• Information was later analysed to assign each polygon a herbivore impact

rating on a 4 point scale (Low, Medium, High, and Very High).

• The main herbivores thought responsible were recorded where known.

What Impacts?

• …this means some regeneration will be able to
• ccur, but more vulnerable tree species may not.
• …floral species diversity may be restricted.
• Combined this will reduce the overall biodiversity

value of the woodland.

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• The medium impact

rating (B) was found in just over half of all native woods…

Next steps -

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FCS are developing our Native Woodlands Project. Objectives: is to better co-ordinate FCS efforts to deliver the FCS priority “to improve the extent and condition of Native woodlands”.

Availability of information

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NWSS provides freely available spatial data, which can be used at any scale and for many purposes: including location of woodlands with high or very high herbivore impacts.

Regional Reports.

Survey results in published format.

data download site provides

the full survey dataset for Geographical Information Systems (GIS) users, currently in Esri shapefile format.

• nline Map Viewer allows

users to view and explore native woodland locations and attribute data at a variety of scales.

Management Options

• FCS supports deer groups, land managers and private forestry sector

to improve native woodland condition, particularly through the integration of deer management plans and Long Term Forest Plans.

• A Woodland Improvement Grant provides funding for the collection
• f appropriate data to develop Deer Management Plans.
• FCS provides grant assistance for deer management in support of

woodland creation and woodland management objectives. The aim

• f the grant is to reduce deer impacts to a level that will allow the:
• regeneration of unprotected tree species at a landscape scale;
• to help diversify forests; and
• improve their conservation value.
• The forestry grant (Reducing Deer Impact) is available through the

Scottish Rural Development Programme

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