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Forests &landscape

information and advice

A summary of what forest and woodland managers should know on thesubject of landscape. Providing links to all the sources of informationthat they should be aware of and describing how landscape design

training can be undertaken and where, if required, advice can beobtained from a suitably qualified landscape professional.

2 | Forests and landscape: information and advice

It is now 50 years since the Forestry Commission appointed its first landscape architect, Sylvia Crowe, to advise on how forests could be integrated with the character of local landscapes. Her appointment in late 1963 was a response to a Government statement earlier that year on forestry policy that announced intended amendments to the Forestry Act in 1967.

With those amendments the Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act 1985 tasks Forestry Commissioners to

achieve a reasonable balance between:

• thedevelopmentofafforestation,themanagementofforestsandtheproductionandsupplyoftimber;and,

• theconservationandenhancementofnatural beautyandtheconservationofflora,faunaandgeologicalor

physiographicalfeaturesofspecialinterest.

Theattributeofnatural beautyhasusuallybeeninterpretedasthescenicqualityofthelandscape.

SylviaCrowewasengagedaslandscapeconsultanttoadviseonhowforestplantationscouldcontributetowards

thenaturalbeautyoflocallandscapes.Asshedevelopedherideassheshowedforestershowtheycould

incorporatelandscapedesignintotheirplans.Thissheachievedbyintroducinglandscapedesignprinciplesfor

forestryandshowinghowtheseideascouldbeincorporatedthroughanintegrateddesignprocessthatconsidered

allaspectsoftheforestenvironment.

Inthelightofexperiencegainedfromtheimplementationofthatadvicehersuccessorsfurtherrefinedthose

designprinciplesandprocess.AllthistheoryandpracticewasbroughttogetherinthebookThe Design of

Forest Landscapes(O.W.R.Lucas,1991)withthekeypointsincorporatedintotheoriginalsuiteofthreeForestry

CommissionLandscapeGuidelinespublishedinthe1990s.

Besidesreinforcingthe1998UKFSthoseGuidelinesalsoprovidedtheforestrycommunitywithpracticalguidancefor

preparingtheirplanssothattheforestsintheircarecontributedtowardsthescenicqualityofthevisuallandscape.

Sylvia Crowe pencil sketch of Taymouth Castle with advice on how the forest on the slopes of Drummond Hill could be visually integrated with the policy woodlands framing the castle.

Dame Sylvia Crowe, Forestry Commission landscape architect 1963–1976.

Forests and landscape: information and advice | 3

Landscape resourcesBelowisachartillustratingahierarchyofinformationthatforestmanagersshouldbeawareof.Eachboxisheaded

bythegeneraltopicfollowedbyspecificresourcesthatcontributetowardsdeliveringtheUKForestryStandard

(UKFS)Requirementsforlandscape.Explanationsoneacharegivenbelowthechart.

Landscape resources chart

Forest Management PlansStrategic Forest Plans

Design techniques for forest management planningLandscape Character Assessments

Historic Land-use Assessment

Forestry Commission Scotland guidanceAchieving diversity in Scotland’s forest landscapes

Conserving and managing trees and woodlands in Scotland’s designed landscapes

The creation of small woodlands on farmsManagement of ancient wood pasture

Environmental Impact AssessmentEnvironmental Impact Assessment of Forestry Projects

Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment

UKFS GuidelinesForests and landscape

Forestry Commission Scotland education and trainingForest landscape designWoodlands for people

Landscape adviceLandscape Institute Directory of Registered Practices

UK Forestry StandardScottish Forestry Strategy

Key theme 6: Environmental qualityContributing to Scotland’s landscapes


UK Forestry Standard and Guidelines

The UK Forestry Standard(UKFS)isthereferencestandardforsustainableforest

managementintheUK.ItwaslaunchedtogetherwithasuiteofGuidelines in

late2011.LandscapeisaUKFSRequirement(page34ofUKFS)highlightingboth

landscapecontextandforestlandscapedesign.

Thesevenguidelinesfocusonthelegalrequirementsandsummarydescriptions

ofgoodforestrypracticetoachievetherequiredoutcomeofsustainableforest

management.Oneoftheparticularstrengthsoftheguidelinesisthattheycross-

referencewitheachother,reflectingthecontemporaryviewthatalthougheach

subjectisrelativelydistinctthereisanessentialinter-relationshipbetweenthem.

Practising sustainable forestry means managing our forests in a way that meets our needs at

present but that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

They will rightly expect that their forests and woodlands offer at least the same benefits and

opportunities as we enjoy today. To sustain these expectations, the UK governments have set

out the UK Forestry Standard and its supporting Guidelines. At the heart of this approach is the

importance of balancing the environmental, economic and social benefits of forests and the

recognition that our forests serve a wide range of objectives. The Guidelines publications define

sustainable forest management in the UK under a series of subject areas. The UK Forestry

Standard requirements have been set out in each and guidance given on how to achieve them.

231 Corstorphine RoadEdinburghEH12 7AT

www.forestry.gov.uk£14

The UK Forestry StandardThe governments’ approach to sustainable forestry

TheU

KForestry

Standard

www.forestry.gov.uk/ukfs

83854 Standard_Layout 1 21/10/2011 12:35 Page 1

UKFS Guidelines: Forests and landscape

Forests and landscapeprovidesthelandscapepolicyandcontextsetting,states

theUKFSRequirementsforforestlandscapesanddescribestheGuidelinesthat

outlinethefundamentalprinciplesofforestdesign.Itreinforcestheimportance

nowplacedonthequalityofalllandscapesbyhighlightingtheUK’sratificationof

the European Landscape Convention(ELC)in2006(page11).

TheGuidelinementionstheimportantroleofLandscapeCharacterAssessments

(LCA)thatcontributetowardsourunderstandingofthekeycharacteristicsthat

makelandscapesdistinct(seeForestPlans/ForestDesignPlansbelow)andthe

roleofLandscapeandVisualImpactAssessment(LVIA)forassessingtheeffectsof

landscapechange(seeEnvironmentalImpactAssessmentbelow).Appendix4also

providesusefuladviceonapplyingforestdesignprinciplestoarangeofUKforest

landscapes.TheGuidelineisfreetoviewanddownloadfromwww.forestry.gov.uk/ukfs

www.forestry.gov.uk/ukfs/landscape

231 Corstorphine RoadEdinburghEH12 7AT

www.forestry.gov.uk

Practising sustainable forestry means managing our forests in a way that meets our needs at

present but that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

They will rightly expect that their forests and woodlands offer at least the same benefits and

opportunities as we enjoy today. To sustain these expectations, the UK governments have set

out the UK Forestry Standard and its supporting Guidelines. At the heart of this approach is the

importance of balancing the environmental, economic and social benefits of forests and the

recognition that our forests serve a wide range of objectives. The Guidelines publications define

sustainable forest management in the UK under a series of subject areas. The UK Forestry

Standard requirements have been set out in each and guidance given on how to achieve them.

£8

Forests and landscapeUK Forestry Standard Guidelines

83854 landscape_Layout 1 13/10/2011 18:17 Page 1

Standard, Guidelines and Strategy


Scottish Forestry Strategy

The Scottish Forestry Strategy(SFS)istheScottishGovernment’sframeworkfor

takingforestryforwardthroughthefirsthalfofthiscenturyandbeyond.Oneof

thekeyoutcomesoftheSFSisforforestrytocontributetowardsthedevelopment

ofahighquality,robustandadaptableenvironment,includingthedeliveryofa

qualitylandscape.DescribinghowforestrycancontributetoScotland’slandscapes,

like the Forests and Landscape Guidelineittooincludestheimportanceof

meetingtheundertakingsoftheELCanduseofLCAtoinformforestmanagement

plans(page44).

TheSFS(FCS,2006)isfreetoviewanddownloadfrom www.forestry.gov.uk/sfs

The Scottish Forestry Strategy

2 0 0 6

Strategic Forest Plans

TherequirementsforaForestManagementPlanaresetoutintheForestry

CommissionScotland(FCS)applicant’sguidanceStrategic Forest Plans(FCS,2013)

availablefreetoviewanddownloadfromwww.forestry.gov.uk/publications

Tohelpforestmanagersdeveloptheirplansitisrecommendedthattheyreferto

thefollowingpublications:

Guidance

EconomyCommunity

EnvironmentEconomy


EconomyCommunity

EnvironmentEnvironmentEconomy

StrategicForest Plans

applicant’s guidance

Forest Management PlansAForest Management Plan (ForestDesignPlanonthenationalforestestate)isastrategicplanthatdescribes

themajorforestoperationsovera20yearperiod.Itbringstogetherthemanagementobjectives,silvicultural

prescriptions,environmental,socialandlandscapefactorsintoacomprehensiveplanthataimstodeliverlong-

termbenefitsthroughsustainableforestmanagement.


Design techniques for forest management planning

Forestmanagementplanninginvolvesassemblingandintegratingawiderange

ofinformationaboutasiteanditspotential,andanumberofestablisheddesign

techniquesareavailabletoassistwiththisprocess.ThisPracticeGuideprovides

step-by-stepguidancetothetechniquesthatcanbeusedateachoftheplanning

stagesforthepreparationofaforestmanagementplan.Theguidanceappliesto

boththecreationofnewforestsandwoodlandsandthemanagementofexisting

forestsandwoodlands.

Thisguideisaimedatforestandwoodlandownersandmanagers,forestry

practitionersandallthoseinvolvedinforestplanningandthepreparationand

evaluationofforestmanagementplans.

ItisavailableforpurchasefromForestryCommissionPublicationsandisalsofree

toviewanddownload-includinganappendixofworkedexamplesofdesignplansindifferentlandscapesnot

includedinthepapercopy-fromwww.forestry.gov.uk/publications

Landscape Character Assessments

Theprocessof landscape character assessment(LCA)isarecognizedanalytical

systemforidentifying,describing,classifyingandmappingthevarietyoflandscape

tobefoundthroughoutScotland.Ithelpsexplainwhatmakeslandscapesdifferent

fromeachother.ThewholeofScotlandhasbeenmappedanddescribedunder

anLCAprogrammeinitiatedandcompletedbyScottish Natural Heritage (SNH)

duringthe1990s.

Generally,theacceptedstrengthoftheSNHsuiteofLCAistheircharacterizationof

theScottishlandscape.Thelandscapeclassificationanddescriptioncanbeuseful

toforestmanagersatthelandscapescale(meaning,itplacesindividualfeatures–

suchasforests–intheirwidersetting)tohelpguidelandscapechange.Withthe

passageoftimethoughthetwootheraspectsoftheSNHsuiteofLCA(forcesfor

changeandgenericlandscapeguidanceforlandusechange)aresomewhatoutofdateandmaynotbeasuseful.

Thesuiteof30regionalLCAstudieswaspublishedbySNHasreportsandareavailablefreetoviewanddownload

fromtheSNHwebsite.Theycanallbeaccessedfromwww.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/looking-

after-landscapes/lca


Historic Land-use Assessment

The Historic Land-use Assessment (HLA)isajointprojectbetweenHistoric

ScotlandandtheRoyalCommissionontheAncientandHistoricalMonuments

ofScotland.ItisaGIS-basedmapthatdepictsthehistoricoriginofland-use

patterns,describingthembyperiod,formandfunction.Itspurposeistoenhance

ourknowledgeandunderstandingofthehistoricdimensionofthelandscapeand

toinformmanagementdecisionsrelatingtoit.Ithighlightsrelictarchaeological

landscapesandhelpsidentifyareaswherefurthersurveycouldusefullybetargeted.

Theassessmentisbasedontheanalysisofkeydatasources,suchasearly

maps,theNationalMonumentsRecordofScotland,aerialphotographyand

archaeologicalsurveyresults.Itidentifiesindividual historic land-usetypes,

groupedtogetherunderthematicheadings(categories)andassignedalikely

chronologicalperiod.Thesehistoricland-usetypessurvivewithincurrentland-usepatternsandcontaininformation

inregardtolandscapecharacteranddevelopment.Italsodepictsrelict land-use;archaeologicallandscapefeatures

thatsurvivebuthavefallenoutofuse.

TheHLAwillbeusefulinforestplanninganddesign;inconsideringthehistoricelementswithinmostForestry

CommissionScotlandgrantsandlicensingactivities;andinconsideringhistoriclandscapecharacterforLocalAuthority

Forestry and Woodland Strategies.

TheprincipaloutputoftheHLAprojectisaGeographic Information System (GIS)datasetthatwillcoverthe

wholeofScotlandby2015.Guidanceonitsusageisalsoinpreparation.TheavailableHLAdataforScotlandcan

be viewed at hla.rcahms.gov.uk

Environmental Impact Assessment of Forestry Projects

Proposalsthatincludewoodlandcreation,road,quarrybuildingordeforestation

willbesubjecttoForestryCommissionScotlandmakingadeterminationunder

the1999 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations as to whether

therewillbearequirementforconsentundertheseregulations.DetailsonEIA

Regulationscanbefoundatscotland.forestry.gov.uk/supporting/grants-and-

regulations/environmental-impact-assessmentunderthegrantsand

regulationssection.

Environmental Impact

Assessment of Forestry Projects

Environmental Impact Assessment


Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment

SinceitsintroductionEIAhasbecomeaveryimportanttoolforpredictingand

evaluatingthewiderangeofeffectsofdevelopmentontheenvironmentand

onpeople.Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA)isaseparatebut

closelyrelatedprocessthatoperateswithintheoverallframeworkofEIA.It

specificallyaimstoensurethatallpossibleeffectsofchangeanddevelopment,

bothonthelandscapeitselfandonviewsandvisualamenity,aretakeninto

accountindecision-making.

TherecognisedhandbookonthissubjectistheGuidelines for Landscape

and Visual Impact Assessment(3rdedition,2013,Routledge,ISBN978-

0-415-68004-2)bytheLandscapeInstituteandInstituteofEnvironmental

Management&Assessment.

Achieving diversity in Scotland’s forest landscapes

Thisguidanceoffersadviceandideasfromwhichaforestmanagermayselect

optionsthatmeettheirmanagementobjectivesandareappropriatefortheir

forest.Theformatoftheguidancerelatestothedecisionswhichforestmanagers

needtomakewhentheyarepreparingfullyintegratedmanagementproposals

whichwillcontributetoaForestPlan.

TheForestryCommissionScotlandPracticeGuideisavailablefreetoviewand

downloadfrom www.forestry.gov.uk/publications Achieving diversity in Scotland’s forest landscapes

Practice Guide

Forestry Commission Scotland guidanceBuildingonthe UKFS Guidelines Forests and Landscape,ForestryCommissionScotlandhasproducedaseriesof

guidancedocumentsintendedtohelpforestmanagersdeveloptheirplans.


The creation of small woodlands on farms

Smallwoodlands,woodlandfeaturesandevenindividualtreescanbeanasseton

anyfarm.Thisguidancedescribesthebenefitsofcreatingnewsmallwoodlands,

wheretheycanbestbesitedandofferssomeadviceonplanning,layoutand

species.Itfocusesonsmallwoodlandsofafewhectaresinsize,saynobigger

thanfivehectares.

Itadvisesontheopportunitiesforcreatingnewsmallwoodlandsinthethreemain

farmingenterprisesandagriculturalsettingsinScotland–arableland,permanent

grasslandandhilllandwithunimprovedgrazing.Eachsectionistailoredtotheir

respectivedifferentfarmedlandscapesettings.

TheForestryCommissionScotlandguidanceisavailablefreetoviewanddownload

from www.forestry.gov.uk/swof.Apapercopycanalsobeobtainedbyfillingin

theonlineapplicationform.

Conserving and managing trees and woodlands in Scotland’s designed landscapes

Designedlandscapesandtheirwoodlands,parklandandtreesmakeamajor

contributiontothesceneryofmanypartsofScotland.Thisguidancehasbeen

preparedtoassistownersandmanagersincaringforallthetreecomponentsin

thefineheritageofdesignedlandscapesthroughoutScotland.

TheForestryCommissionScotlandPracticeGuideisavailablefreetoviewand

downloadfromwww.forestry.gov.uk/publicationsConserving and managing trees and woodlands in Scotland’s designed landscapes

Practice Guide

Management of ancient wood pasture

Thisguidancenoteprovidesanintroductiontotherestorationandmanagement

ofancientwoodpasturesinScotland.

Guidanceisprovidedonthecareofveterantreesandmanagementofthepasture

throughthedevelopmentofmanagedgrazingregimes.Thenotepromotesthe

benefitsofamanagementplanandprovidesguidanceforitspreparation.Linksare

alsoprovidedtomoredetailedpublicationsthatmaybeofhelpandinterest.

ThisGuidancenoteisaimedatlandmanagers,theiradvisersandagency

staffinvolvedinlandmanagementandgrantassessment.Itisfreetoview

anddownloadfromscotland.forestry.gov.uk/images/corporate/pdf/

fcsancientwoodpastureguidance.pdf

http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/images/corporate/pdf/fcsancientwoodpastureguidance.pdf


Forestry Commission Scotland education and trainingForestryCommissionScotlandhasdevelopedtwotraining courses in landscape designthathavebeenspecifically

developedtohelpforestandwoodlandmanagerspreparetheirplanssensitivetotheirlocallandscapeandsituation.

Forest landscape design

A2-day design courseforthosewhowantto

developtheirskillsinpreparingorevaluatinga

forestmanagementplan.Thecourseexplains

whatismeantbylandscapeandshowshow

toreadandusedifferencesinlandscape

character.Italsoexplorestheprinciplesofforest

landscapedesignandshowshowtheycanbe

appliedtonewforestsandtherestructuring

existingones.

Throughanintegratedseriesofpracticalexercisesdelegatesdevelopbasicdrawingskillsandpreparesketchdesign

proposalsinperspective.

Woodlands for people

A2-day design course that demonstrates

howanappreciationoftherecogniseddesign

principlesandtheirapplicationthroughthe

designprocesscancontributetowardsthe

preparationofdesignproposalsforurban

woodland.Itshowsdelegateshowtodesignthe

location,useandlinkagesofspacesforpeople

tooptimisetheirwoodlandexperience.

Italsodemonstrateshowacarefullyconsidered

designplancanhelplocalcommunities

understandthebenefitsoftheirnewwoodlands

orproposedchangestoexistingwoods.Throughanintegratedseriesofpracticalexercisesdelegatesdevelopbasic

drawingskillsandpreparesketchdesignproposals.

BothcoursesaredeliveredbytheForestry Commission Scotland Landscape and Culture Adviser who can be

contactedbyemailforfurtherinformationandcourseavailabilityatnicholas.shepherd@forestry.gsi.gov.uk


Further reading

The Design of Forest Landscapes

Publishedin1991, The Design of Forest Landscapes(OliverW.R.Lucas,Oxford

UniversityPress,ISBN0-19-854280-1)isacompendiumofthedesignprinciples,

techniquesandexperienceinforestlandscapedesignbuiltupbyForestry

CommissionlandscapearchitectssinceDameSylviaCrowewascommissioned

astheForestryCommission’sfirstLandscapeConsultantin1963.

Soundlandscapeprinciplesaredescribedandexplainedthroughdetailedand

illustratedexamples.Thebookprovidespracticaladvicefortheconservation

andenhancementoflandscapeinandaroundmanagedforests.Thebroader

implicationsofforestryinthelandscapearediscussedwithmattersofdetailset

inawidercontext.

Althoughsomewhatdated,thisremainsarelevantandcomprehensiveresourceforallaspectsofforest

andwoodlanddesign,includingthedesignofsmallwoods,shelterbeltsandlinearcorridors,suchasroads,

watercoursesandpowerlinewayleaves.

Designing Sustainable Forest Landscapes

Inmanyrespectsthesuccessortotheabovebook,Designing Sustainable Forest

Landscapes(SimonBell&DeanApostol,Taylor&Francis,ISBN10:0-41925680-6)

isaguidetotheplanning,designandmanagementofforestlandscapes.Itcovers

thetheoryandprinciplesofforestdesignaswellasprovidingpracticalguidance

onmethodsandtools.

Thebookfocusesonecosystemregeneration,thelandscapeplanningofnatural

forestsandthedesignofplantationforeststhroughavarietyofinternational

case-studies.Usingvisualisationtechniques,designprocessesandevaluation

techniques,itlooksatpromotingforestlandscapesthataredesignedtooptimise

thebalancebetweenhumaninterventionandnaturalevolution.


Landscape Institute Directory of Registered Practices

Shouldyoudecidethatyourplanswouldbenefitfromtheprofessionalservicesofalandscapearchitectyouare

bestadvisedtoconsulttheLandscape Institute Directory of Registered Practices(whichalsoincludesindividuals)

at www.landscapeinstitute.org/registeredpractices/search.php

YouwillseethatthesearchfacilityCountry (select UK),LI Region (select Scotland),Discipline (select Forestry

(woodland/trees))thenpresstheSearchbuttonandreviewallcompanies.

Landscape advice

ContactNicholas ShepherdLandscape and Culture AdvisorForestry Commission ScotlandSilvan House231 Corstorphine RoadEdinburghEH12 7AT

Tel: 0300 067 6160E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland

Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the forestry directorate of the Scottish Government and is responsible to Scottish Ministers

Published by - Forestry Commission Scotland - September 2014© Crown Copyright 2014

All photography from Forestry Commission Picture Library unless otherwise stated

Designed by Pure Communication for Design and Interpretative Services, Forestry Commission Scotland, Edinburgh

DIS - PDF - SEPTEMBER14

If you need this publication in an alternative format, for example, in large print or in another language, please contact:

The Diversity TeamForestry CommissionSilvan House231 Corstorphine RoadEdinburghEH12 7AT

Tel: 0300 067 5046E-mail: [email protected]

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