Planting and felling: Behind the scenes of forest management
Planting and felling: Behind the scenes of forest management
Find out what goes on behind the scenes of planting and felling
Planting trees is at the core of everything we do. Growing productive trees is essential for providing sustainable low-carbon materials to allow us to live our modern lives. The UK is the second largest net importer of forest products in the world. The UK grows only 26% of its timber and wood products. Planting new woodland is one of the most effective ways to tackle the climate emergency. New woodlands allow us to increase renewable resources.
Planting and felling are more than just forestry tasks. They're part of our long-term vision for healthy and sustainable woodlands. We need to strike the right balance. It's important that we are planting the right species in the right places, supporting timber production and wildlife, and ensuring our forests can adapt to climate change. That’s how we’ll keep Scotland’s national forests thriving for the future.
Let's look at how we manage this.
Our trees
Tree planting in numbers
Over the last five years we have:
- created over 3,000 hectares of new woodlands (roughly 2,500 football pitches)
- replanted an area of over 27,000 hectares (an area larger than the Cayman Islands)
Most of the trees we establish are grown in nurseries and then planted out as saplings. For native woodland we use a process called ‘natural regeneration’ where trees grow from seed shed by standing trees. In 2021, we planted 5 trees for every person in Scotland, around 25 million in total.
Types of trees in our forests
We plant a mix of conifers and broadleaves across Scotland’s forests.
New woodlands often include native species like scots pine, oak and birch. In timber-producing areas, we replant mostly conifers such as sitka spruce, douglas fir and pines, with some broadleaves to support diversity and wildlife.
We’re now using a wider range of species to reduce the risk from pests and diseases. Overall, we plant more conifers than broadleaves because they grow faster and produce more timber.
Why we plant more conifers than broadleaves
We plant more conifers because we need a secure supply of sustainably produced timber. In the UK we currently import 74% of what we use and are the second largest importer of timber after China. Timber is used for many different purposes, including:
- constructing houses and buildings
- crafting furniture
- making pallets that deliver food and medicines
- producing paper for printing and packaging
Conifer trees grow far quicker than most broadleaves. A crop of conifers could be ready to harvest in 40-50 years. At that age, an oak tree is barely getting started and will need 4 or 5 times that long.
Single-species planting
In the twentieth century, we planted large areas with a single tree species to make management more efficient. This approach worked well for timber production, but it does have downsides.
A warming climate and international trade and movement has made some species more vulnerable to pests and disease. We also know that forests with a mix of species support better habitats and are more enjoyable to visit.
We’re now planting a wider variety of trees to help forests stay healthy and meet future needs. We will still have areas of single-species planting. These will mostly be in upland sites where soil and weather conditions limit what can grow, and where timber is the focus. In these situations, we ensure that we plant at least 10% with another species, 5% with native broadleaves, and leave 10% as open area.
Newton nursery
About a third of our trees start life at our nursery at Newton, near Inverness. It’s a world leader in tree propagation, that uses new technologies to increase tree production and improve efficiency.
We use seeds collected in the UK from selected high-quality trees.
Sustainability
Growing our own timber
Growing timber in Scotland helps reduce our reliance on imports. Buying and transporting timber from places like Scandinavia adds emissions to a sustainable material and leaves the country open to uncertain international prices for timber, in much the same way as natural gas. By growing our own timber, our carbon footprint is lower, supply is steady and prices are more stable.
Trees provide more than just timber. New uses are constantly being discovered, from medicine to paints, to batteries and mobile phone screens. The more applications we can find for wood, the less we need to use harmful plastics and other unsustainable materials.
How do trees help the environment?
Trees play a major part in creating a healthy ecosystem. They produce oxygen, helping to clean the air we breathe. They also store carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated by our modern lives in their timber, including from:
- cars and other vehicles
- air travel
- generating electricity
This helps slow climate change and reduce extreme weather.
UK forest cover is only 13.5%, compared to a European average of 40%.
Planting trees in the right place can also benefit the landscape, improve soils, store water, and reducing flooding and droughts.
Planting deep-rooted species on steep slopes can also help bind the slope together, reducing erosion and preventing land slips, especially above key transport routes.
Felling benefits
When we fell trees we plant new trees on the same site, beginning the cycle of absorbing emissions again.
When a tree is felled, the carbon dioxide it has captured throughout its life is trapped in the timber. If that timber is used to build a house, those emissions will be stored for as long as the house stands. Using timber in this way supports a lower-carbon, environmentally friendly future.