Scotland's Forestry Strategy 2019-2029: consultation draft

5. Delivering the vision: priorities for action and policies for delivery

5.1 Priorities for action

Recognising the major issues, and considering what is feasible to deliver, we have identified the following priority areas for action in the next 10 years. These will help to achieve the stated objectives and thus move towards the realisation of our vision. Many of these priorities require action by people across government, business, academia, the wider public sector and NGOs, and at local, regional and national scales.

All of the priorities for action address more than one objective (see table 2 below) and more than one of the major issues identified (see table 3 below). The ordering and numbering of the priorities below does not imply any ranking.

Table 2 - Priorities for action and their relationship with the 10-year objectives

Priority	Objective 1: Economic	Objective 2: Environmental	Objective 3: Social	Rationale
1. Promote and develop the concept of sustainable forest management as it applies to Scotland.	√	√	√	This priority for action underpins all the other priorities listed below and delivers the Scottish Ministers' duty to promote Sustainable Forest Management.
2 Sustainably expand the area of all types of woodlands and forests across Scotland and ensure harvested sites are replanted appropriately.	√	√	√	Supports delivery of the Scottish Government (SG) Economic Strategy (2015) the SG Climate Change Plan (2018), the biodiversity strategy: It's in Your Hands (2005) and 2020 Challenge for Scotland's Biodiversity (2013), and the Energy Strategy (2017). Supports the delivery of the Scottish Forest Timber Technologies Industry leadership Group (ILG) Roots for Further Growth strategy (in prep.).
3. Ensure wood fibre availability from Scotland's forests is predictable and increases over time.	√	√		Supports delivery of the SG Economic Strategy (2015) and the Energy Strategy (2017). Supports the delivery of the Scottish Forest Timber Technologies Industry leadership Group (ILG) Roots for Further Growth strategy (in prep.).
4. Protect forests and woodlands from damage caused by new or existing pests and diseases, promote the sustainable management of wild deer and build resilience to support adaptation to climate change.	√	√		Supports the delivery of the SG Plant Health Strategy (2016) and the Climate Change Plan (2018). Supports the implementation of Scotland's Wild Deer: A National Approach (2015) and the Code of Practice on Deer Management (2012)
5. Increase community ownership and management of forests and woodlands.	√		√	Supports the principles of the SG's Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement (2017) and helps deliver the SG's target of having 1 million acres of land in community ownership by 2020.
6. Increase efficiency, productivity and the value generated from forest products and services and help develop forestry's role in creating a low-carbon economy, by supporting technological innovation, improving the capacity and skills of those working in the sector, and developing existing and new markets.	√	√	√	Supports delivery of the SG Climate Change Plan (2018), the Economic Strategy (2015) and the Energy Strategy (2017). Supports the delivery of the ILG Roots for Further Growth strategy (in prep.) and the industry-led Biorefinery Roadmap for Scotland (2015).
7. Increase the natural capital value of Scotland's woodlands and forests by improving the condition of native woodlands and forests, and increasing the positive impacts of forest and woodland management on biodiversity, air, water, soils, flood management, landscapes and the historic environment, mitigating the risks of negative impacts.	√	√	√	Supports the delivery of the SG Climate Change Plan (2018), the biodiversity strategy: It's in Your Hands (2005) and 2020 Challenge for Scotland's Biodiversity (2013), the Scottish Soil Framework (2009) and the SG Economic Strategy (2015). Supports the delivery of the SG's duties under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. Supports the delivery of the EU Water Framework Directive.
8. Increase the use of Scotland's forests and woodlands to improve health and well-being, help people better understand forestry, and support wider Scottish Government activity to help children become confident and resilient members of Scottish society.	√		√	Supports delivery of the SG's Active Scotland Outcomes Framework (2015) and Mental Health Strategy (2017). The use of forests and woodlands as learning and play spaces could help meet the SG commitment to expand learning opportunities (A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland - 2017-18 Action Plan (2017)). Supports the SG's subject initiative on 'Sustainability'.
9. Enhance forestry's contribution to sustaining viable rural communities and increase the positive impact of forest and woodland management on other businesses, especially in agriculture and tourism.	√	√	√	Supports the objectives and principles of the SG Land Use Strategy (2016). Supports delivery of Scottish Planning Policy and the National Planning Framework 3 (2014), the SG Climate Change Plan (2018) and the SG Economic Strategy (2015). Delivers on the recommendations of the SG Agricultural Champions report (2018).
10. Increase the positive contribution that urban forestry makes in Scotland's towns and cities.	√	√	√	Supports delivery of the SG's National Planning Framework 3 (2014), Active Scotland Outcomes Framework (2015), the Mental Health Strategy (2017), the biodiversity strategy: It's in Your Hands (2005) and 2020 Challenge for Scotland's Biodiversity (2013), the Climate Change Plan (2018), and the Economic Strategy (2015).

Table 3 - The relationship between the major issues and the priorities for action

Major issues	Priorities for Action
Wood product supply and demand	1, 2, 3, 4
Rural land-use, productivity and integration	1, 9
Economic development: national and local	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10
Innovation and new technology	1, 6
Developing future foresters and upskilling the existing workforce	1, 6, 8
Climate change	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10
Tree pests and diseases	1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8
Wild deer	1, 4, 7
Enhancing our natural assets and improving their biodiversity value	1, 4, 7, 10
Environmental and landscape quality	1, 2, 4, 7, 10
Well-being	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Equality and empowerment	1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Urban forestry	1, 2, 7, 8, 10

Q4. Do the ten priorities identified in table 2 capture the areas where action is most needed to deliver our objectives and vision? Please explain your answer.

5.2 Policies for delivery

The achievement of our ambitious vision and the delivery of the accompanying objectives and priorities will require action on many fronts across the public, private, community and voluntary sectors. It is therefore vital that the Scottish Government continues to work closely with our many partners.

To support the delivery of the priorities identified above, we may use a number of policies, as detailed below.

Effective and proportionate incentives and regulation

• Forestry receives considerable direct and indirect financial support from the Scottish Government. The administration of this support is currently led by Forestry Commission Scotland, and will transfer to Scottish Forestry - the new forestry agency of the Scottish Government - in 2019.
• The total budget for forestry in the 2018-19 budget was £62 million.
• The main financial incentive for the sustainable creation and management of forests and woodlands is currently available under the Scotland Rural Development Programme Forestry Grant Scheme 2014-20 and totals £266.8 million. Future incentives will be determined in the context of wider support for land use, following the UK's exit from the EU.
• Other financial incentives from the Scottish Government budget are also available to support delivery, for example, the Timber Transport Scheme and the Forestry Development Programme.
• Fiscal incentives apply to forestry (UK Government)^[39].

Following the commencement of the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018, felling and restocking will be regulated by the Scottish Government's Scottish Forestry agency. Other relevant regulations include Environmental Impact Assessment, Health and Safety, and the Water Framework Directive.

Partnership working

• We will continue to work with a range of private, public and voluntary sector partners to deliver the priorities of this strategy, for example, the Scottish Forest and Timber Technologies Industry Leadership Group and the Central Scotland Green Network Trust.
• We will continue to collaborate with the UK government and other devolved administrations on a number of areas of common interest that require co-operation across boundaries (see also 'Surveillance, monitoring, research and provision of technical advice' section below).
• Other partners including non-governmental funders such as the Lotteries, Trusts and Foundations are vitally important through their support of a vast range of forestry-related initiatives and projects.

Management of forests and land by Scottish Ministers' under the FLM(S)A 2018

• The forested and non-forested land owned by the Scottish Ministers and managed under the FLM(S)A 2018 is their largest forest and land resource and will remain as a national asset. The principles for its management are outlined in the box below. Scottish Ministers will be a leader in sustainable forest management and sustainable development through their stewardship of these assets.
• Following its establishment on 1 April 2019, the Scottish Government's Forestry and Land Scotland Agency will set out more detailed plans for the sustainable management of these assets in their Corporate Plan.

Box 3 - Managing land under the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018.

Scottish Ministers have a duty to sustainably manage forests and land assets they own and manage under the FLM(S)A 2018. They are also committed to using these assets to deliver the Scottish Government's international commitments and National Performance Framework^[40]. These assets will also be managed to contribute to the delivery of the priorities outlined in this strategy. These holdings are comprised of both land that is forested and land that is not. The Act sets out the principles for how these different categories of land are to be managed:

• Forested land: managed to promote sustainable forest management (see section 2.2).
• Non-forested land: managed in order to further the achievement of sustainable development. The United Nations defines this as:

"…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"^[41].

Acquisition and disposals

Scottish Ministers have the ability to acquire and dispose of land to support the delivery of these principles, and the objectives and priorities of this strategy. Any funds received as a result of disposing of land will be used solely for the purpose of carrying out Scottish Ministers' functions under the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018.

Forestry and Land Scotland Corporate Plan

Once established, Forestry and Land Scotland will publish a Corporate Plan that will provide details of how these management principles will be delivered on behalf of Scottish Ministers, outline specific actions for supporting the delivery of this strategy, and also describe how these assets will be used to support wider Scottish Government priorities, such as growing a sustainable and inclusive rural economy.

Public sector action

• The delivery of this strategy will require action across Scottish Government, its agencies and by other public authorities, through creating and managing forest and woodland assets, the promotion of sustainable forest management, and through direct and indirect support for sustainable forest management objectives. In particular, the activities of the two new forestry agencies - Scottish forestry and Forestry and Land Scotland - will be aligned and focused on the implementation and delivery of this strategy.
• Scotland's Planning Authorities are also critical in delivering this strategy through their role in the planning system and the implementation of the supportive framework for trees, woodlands and forests (See Annex A).

Joined-up approach

• This strategy complements and supports the delivery of existing Scottish Government policies such as the Land Use Strategy, the Economic Strategy, the Climate Change Plan, the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement (see Annex B), as well as the forthcoming Environment Strategy for Scotland and Economic Action Plan.
• In the development of future relevant policies, the Scottish Government will identify opportunities for supportive actions to aid the delivery of Scottish Ministers' forestry ambitions, and also identify where forestry can contribute to the aims and objectives of other policies.

Surveillance, monitoring, research and provision of technical advice

• The Scottish Government will work with the UK Government and other devolved administrations as well as with the forestry sector to ensure that appropriate surveillance and monitoring of Scotland's forests and woodlands continues. This will inform decision making on the expansion, protection, use and management of the resource.
• The Scottish Government will continue to work with the UK Government and other UK devolved administrations on important cross-border matters such as plant health, science and research, and common codes (e.g. Forest Research, UK Forestry Standard).
• The Scottish Government will continue to support the provision of relevant technical advice, information and guidance and ensure where necessary that it is co-ordinated with other information provided to land owners and managers.

Q5. Can you provide any examples of delivery mechanisms that have previously been effective in delivering similar objectives and priorities?

Q6. For any delivery mechanism examples given in answer to question 5, please explain why they worked well?