Appropriate woodland expansion will lead to more of the benefits that woodlands provide:
- Richer and more diverse habitats for wildlife
- Enhanced landscapes
- Sequestration and long-term storage of carbon
- Timber, wood-fuel and other woodland products
- 'Ecosystem services', including clean water, mitigation of diffuse agricultural pollution, and reduction in flood risk
- Secure jobs and enhanced rural and national economies
Much of the expansion will take place on privately owned land, according to the landowners' objectives. The Scottish Government can influence how and where this happens by providing incentives to encourage the development of woodland in ways most beneficial to society. These can ensure woodland is created on the most suitable soils and support designs that improve landscapes on degraded urban fringes, provide habitats for wildlife or mitigate diffuse pollution in watercourses. Spatial planning tools are being developed to help landowners to consider how best they can develop woodland in order to maximise benefits for wildlife through improving habitat connectivity. Work is also ongoing to consider how we can develop tools to help design woodland to provide ecosystem services - by reducing flood risk, filtering water to reduce pollution or helping to decontaminate land on brownfield sites.
- Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the forestry directorate of the Scottish Government.
- Highland Birchwoods was formed in 1992 as a partnership of the Forestry Commission, Scottish Natural Heritage, Highland Council and Highland & Islands Enterprise to promote best practice in the management of woodlands and forests to: improve conservation and biodiversity values, deliver sustainable rural development, enhance recreational, landscape and amenity facilities.
- The Woodland Trust is a charity which promotes native woodland and offers free advice and support on woodland creation to a whole range of stakeholders, including private estates, local authorities and community groups. (See Scotland contact details ).
- Reforesting Scotland is a networking organisation of those active in the ecological and social regeneration of Scotland.
- Trees for Life is the only organisation specifically dedicated to restoring the Caledonian Forest to a target area of 600 sq miles in the Scottish Highlands.. Their website includes the Caledonian Forest information centre and the aspen project website
- The Community Woodlands Association was established in 2003 as the direct representative body of Scotland's community woodland groups. They help community woodland groups across the country achieve their aspirations and potential, providing advice, assistance and information, facilitating networking and training, and representing and promoting community woodlands to the wider world.