Protected Woodland and Trees in Scotland

Getting involved in planning:

Protected woodland and trees in Scotland

Woodlands and trees are important wildlife habitat in the Scottish countryside.

This information sheet explains what can be done to protect woodland and trees and suggests further sources of information.

Protecting woodlands

Woodlands vary in their character, composition of trees, and other plants and animals, age and wildlife value. Older woodlands containing native trees and plants can often be the most valuable for wildlife. ‘Ancient woodlands’ in Scotland are those that have been continuously wooded since 1750, and can have high nature conservation, historical and cultural value.

Ancient woodland is not a statutory designation, but it may add weight to arguments to protect it. Scottish Planning Policy (paragraph 194) also sets out that the planning system should “protect and enhance ancient semi-natural woodland as an important and irreplaceable resource, together with other native or long-established woods, hedgerows and individual trees with high nature conservation or landscape value”.

Scottish Natural Heritage ( and Woodland Trust Scotland ( both keep inventories of ancient woodland sites.

Some ancient woodlands may be listed as local wildlife sites, or have national or EU statutory nature conservation designations. Your local authority will know of the location of these sites, and the Scottish Natural Heritage Area Office should have more information on nearby statutory designated woods.

Tree felling

The felling of trees can cause disturbance to birds and other species, such as bats. The felling of trees in woodland normally requires a Felling Licence from Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS). FCS places all proposals for woodland felling and planting it receives on its public register.

The Forestry Commission Register of Grant Schemes & Felling can be accessed on their website ( The Forestry Commission have also produced a number of leaflets on the approval process for Felling Licences which you might find useful:

• Forestry Commission (2007) Tree Felling – Getting Permission. April 2007.
• Forestry Commission (2002) How We Consult about Woodland Planting & Tree Felling.

All of these can be found on their website (

Protecting individual trees

Local authorities can place Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) on individual trees, groups of trees or woodlands. Your local council’s tree/woodland officer, or planning department, should be able to tell you where trees with TPOs are located.

TPOs can be used to protect collections of scattered trees that form part of historic landscapes, such as ancient wood pasture and parkland. Such trees may be ‘veteran’ trees with high nature conservation value. Veteran trees may also be found within woodlands.

Historic Environment Scotland has published an Inventory of Gardens & Designed Historic Landscapes which may be useful to determine whether a wood pasture or parkland is ancient. See their website ( for more information.

Protecting hedgerows

There is no specific legislation for the protection of hedgerows in Scotland. There is however wildlife law to prevent disturbance to habitat for nesting birds in the form of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Hedgerow management should take place outside bird breeding seasons.

For more information, please visit the section on our website on wild birds and the law ( and also see ‘Protecting birds from development’.

RSPB Scotland

Local Planning Pack: giving nature a homenear youPage 1

August 2016