Have your say on forestry proposals

Why is it important to involve communities and other stakeholders in decisions about forestry?

Land ownership in Scotland comes with both rights and responsibilities.

The Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement 2022 aims to ensure that Scotland’s land supports a sustainable future. One that benefits all Scotland’s people.

It includes the principle that there should be meaningful collaboration and community engagement in decisions about land, and how it is used.

The UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) – the technical standard for sustainable forest management across the UK – also recognises the importance of involving stakeholders and communities in decision-making processes.

The UK Forestry Standard, 5th edition

“The UKFS requires that people with a recognisable interest in a forestry proposal or its outcomes should be given the opportunity to be involved in its development. ”

- Amy Nicolson, Communities and Urban Woodlands Advisor, Scottish Forestry

Involving local communities and other stakeholders creates opportunities to build support for proposals and improve them, helping:

deliver sustainable economic development
protect and enhance the environment
support a just transition to net zero
achieve social justice
build a fairer society for the common good
enhance the wellbeing of local people and communities

What is the consultation process?

Our Forestry Engagement and Consultation Processes guidance covers different types of forestry project, including:

woodland creation
tree felling
Long Term Forest Plans
Management Plans

It explains:

the roles and responsibilities of those involved
when communities and other stakeholders can expect to be engaged
when public consultation happens
when local stakeholder and community input will be most impactful and beneficial
the topics or issues that communities commonly provide knowledge, information and evidence on
how decisions are made

Forestry Engagement and Consultation Processes

How can I have my say?

There are two key points in the development and approval process when you can share your views for consideration.

1. During proposal development

The first is before an application is made to Scottish Forestry when the landowner (or their agent) is deciding what they want to do.

It is their responsibility to involve the local community and other relevant stakeholders in the development of the plan or proposal.

This stage in the process offers communities and stakeholders the best opportunity to influence plans and proposals, and is typically when they can add most value.

Our Forestry Engagement and Consultation Processes guidance provides further information.

Forestry Engagement and Consultation Processes

Other useful resources

Confor: Confederation of Forest Industries

Confor have produced good practice guidance for engagement and consultation with woodland creation proposals in Scotland.

Engagement with Local People and Communities: Good Practice Guidance for Woodland Creation Proposals (Confor website)

They also have a one-page crib-sheet on stakeholder engagement, when it should happen, who to involve and how.

Stakeholder Engagement Guidance Note (Confor website)

Scottish Land Commission

To help support the implementation of the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement, the Scottish Land Commission have issued a good practice protocol on community engagement.

Community Engagement in Decisions Relating to Land - Protocol (Scottish land Commission website)

They have also produced an accompanying Route Map, to help support those making decisions about land to implement and navigate the expectations set out in the Protocol.

Community Engagement in Decisions Relating to Land - Route Map (Scottish land Commission website)

2. After submission to Scottish Forestry

Once the landowner or manager has finalised their plan or proposal, they will either submit it to Scottish Forestry for assessment, or to find out whether the proposal requires Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consent.

Depending on the type of submission, Scottish Forestry’s role is to assess whether the proposal:

requires EIA consent ( screening opinion)
has considered all the issues raised by stakeholders and communities, and, where appropriate, changes have been made to satisfy the assessment criteria below
fulfils the requirements of the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) and Scotland-specific forestry guidance
meets the criteria of the Forestry Grant Scheme
is consistent with the aims and ambitions of Scotland’s Forestry Strategy
is aligned with the relevant local Forestry and Woodland Strategy

If the submission is a Long-Term Forest Plan or Land Management Plan, or involves a Forestry Grant Scheme or Felling Permission application, we consult on it through out Public Registers - where anyone can share their views.

Worth knowing

The aim of this consultation is to help ensure that we have correctly assessed the proposal against the above criteria.

We do not consult on our decisions about whether EIA consent is needed.

We do consult on final EIA reports.

Forestry Environmental Impact Assessment

Have your say on forestry plans and proposals