To provide a long-term (20 year) strategic plan to:
- Ensure that the management of a forest meets the standards set out in the UK Forest Standard
- Provide an approval framework for specific woodland management actions, which will enhance the environmental value of the woodland.
Scoping Report
You must prepare a scoping report and undertake a 'scoping' exercise, engaging formally with those that have an interest in your proposals in order to:
- Explain your objectives and future plans
- Obtain new or better information about your proposals
- Identify key issues so that they can be included within the design process.
As part of the scoping exercise you must prepare a Concept Map showing the key issues and constraints specific to the Forest Plan area.
Maps
You must provide the following main maps:
- Constraints and Opportunities Map highlighting key issues
- Felling programme for the next 20 years in 5 year block
- Thinning programme for the first 10 years
- Restructuring regeneration map showing successor crops and open space
- Environmental Impacts map - an accurate representation of the scale and location of any activities proposed in your FP which fall within the scope of the Forestry Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulation and therefore require our determination of whether you will require our consent under this Regulation. This should include areas of deforestation that are to be clear-felled under the plan but that, for environmental or development reasons, will not be restocked
Depending on the complexity of the issues being dealt with, including those raised during scoping, other maps may be required in support of your FP.
Main Forest Plan Report
You must provide the following in text, graphics, or tabulated format, as appropriate:
- Description of woodlands - provide a brief description of the area covered by the FP - setting the FP area in the context of the surrounding landscape as well as the features contained within the FP area
- Summarise the stakeholder engagement and conclusions arising from the Scoping Report
- Management objectives and links to the Scottish Forestry Strategy (SFS) outcomes. In this section you should explain what the main management drivers are in the FP area, describe why these are relevant to the priority outcomes identified in the SFS and describe the extent to which these will be delivered by the end of the period covered by your FP.
- Summarise any survey data held that is reveant to the FP area
- Analysis of information - in th econtext of the 'Constraints and Opportunities', assess the archaeological, visual, ecological, herbivore and social impacts of the woodland
- Outline the silvicultural policy and practice to be employed. This should include strategies to address any issues identified during the analysis stage.
- For FP of 100 hectares and above, provide basic crop data to feed into the Private Sector Production Forecast.
Detailed guidance and examples of Forest Plans