Increase biodiversity across all woodlands by increasing the characteristics that improve woodland condition as identified by the Woodland Ecological Condition (WEC) National Statistic, initially by developing a tool based on WEC to allow site ecological condition assessment to be made by 2030.
Objective 4: Protect and support the recovery of vulnerable and important species and habitats
Priority Action 19. Ensure that forests and woodlands deliver increased biodiversity and habitat connectivity alongside timber and carbon outcomes.
There is currently no publicly published Scottish Government, NatureScot, or Scottish Forestry delivery report confirming that a WEC-based site-level woodland ecological condition assessment tool has been developed, released, or integrated into operational forestry decision-making.
The Woodland Ecological Condition (WEC) National Statistic exists as a national monitoring framework used by NatureScot to report on woodland condition at a Scotland-wide scale, but there is no evidence of a derived operational tool being implemented for site-level assessment or embedded within Scottish Forestry approvals or management systems.
As a result, delivery of the proposed tool component cannot be verified beyond the existence of the WEC statistical framework itself.
The WEC National Statistic provides a recognised evidence base for assessing woodland ecological condition in Scotland, including indicators related to structure, habitat quality, and biodiversity status. This supports national-level understanding of woodland condition trends and is an established part of Scotland’s biodiversity monitoring system. However, ecological impact from this action depends specifically on whether WEC outputs are translated into an operational site-level assessment tool used to guide woodland management decisions. There is no published evidence that such a tool has been developed or applied in Scottish Forestry decision-making processes.
Therefore, while the underlying monitoring framework is evidence-based and robust, the ecological contribution of this action remains potential rather than demonstrated, as no implementation or application layer has been confirmed.
NatureScot – Protected Sites Data
Woodland Trust Scotland – State of the UK’s Woods and Trees 2025
NatureScot – Forests and Woodlands
Scottish Forestry – UK Forestry Standard (biodiversity and woodland management baseline)
Meet annual woodland creation target as set in the Scottish Government Climate Change Plans currently 18,000 hectares of new woodland annually (including 4000ha of native woodland).
Update woodland management guidance and plans including those for restocking from 2025 onwards to reflect greater emphasis on actions that will improve biodiversity.
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