Forestry Environmental Impact Assessment

The forestry EIA screening process is used to decide whether a project is likely to have a significant effect on the environment. 

You can find out more about recent EIA screening opinions by opening the register.

Launch the Public Register of EIA screening opinions

Types of forestry work open to EIAs

There are 4 types of forestry work that an EIA can apply to.

Afforestation 

Planting new woods and forests including:

• direct seeding or natural regeneration
• planting Christmas trees
• short rotation coppice

Deforestation

Felling woodland to use the land for a different purpose.

Forest roads

The formation, alteration or maintenance of private ways on land used (or to be used) for forestry purposes. This includes roads within a forest, or which lead to one.

Forestry quarries 

Quarrying to get materials needed for:

• forest road works on land used (or to be used) for forestry purposes
• land held or occupied with that land

For more information see our Environmental Impact Assessment for forestry projects application guidance.

Environmental Impact Assessment for forestry projects application guidance

A forestry project is unlikely to have a significant effect on the environment if the area covered by the project does not exceed the relevant thresholds.

However, you should apply for a screening opinion if we determine that there are ‘exceptional circumstances’ which make it seem likely the below threshold forestry project will have a significant effect.

If any work has been carried out in the past 5 years on the area adjacent to the project, that area must also be included in the area threshold. 

A sensitive area can be:

• a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

• land to which an order has been made under section 23 (nature conservation orders) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004

  Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 (legislation.gov.uk website)

• an area classified as a National Park under section 6(1) of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000

  Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 (legislation.gov.uk website)

• a property appearing on the World Heritage List kept under article 11(2) of the 1972 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Worlds Cultural and Natural Heritage

  Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (UNESCO website)

• a scheduled monument within the meaning of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979

  Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (legislation.gov.uk website)

• a National Scenic Area (NSA) as designated by a direction made by Scottish Ministers under section 263A of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 2006

  Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (legislation.gov.uk website)

• a European site within the meaning of regulation 10 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations 1994

  The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (legislation.gov.uk website)

• for the purposes of the thresholds, deep peat soil which is organic soil:
  • containing more than 60 per cent of organic matter
  • exceeding 50 centimetres in thickness