SNN101653 - Woodland creation: Needs and opportunities in the English Countryside

This discussion paper aims to develop the debate on the proposals in the White Paper and to stimulate fresh thinking about the needs and opportunities for woodland creation. It asks four main questions: 1. Why do we need new woodlands? 2. What types of woodland do we need? 3. Where should new woodlands be sited? 4. How can we get more woodland?. The paper is in two parts. The first part contains four sections which develop these questions in more detail. Each section is followed by a series of more specific questions. The second part presents some initial work undertaken by the Foresrty Authority in the form of a draft opportunities map drawing on information on existing woodland and population densities, agricultural land capability, presence of trees in the landscape and incidence of derelict land. These were four elements which the Rural White Paper suggested were relevant in determining the location of new woodlands. The list was not exchaustive.