What is the Regional Strategic Woodland Creation Project?

The Regional Strategic Woodland Creation Project helps land managers to consider opportunities for new woodlands in the context of future land use. 

The project is being undertaken in partnership with 4 local authorities in the south of Scotland:

  • Dumfries and Galloway
  • East Ayrshire
  • Scottish Borders
  • South Lanarkshire

Yearly planting targets (set by Scottish Government) were set to 12,000 hectares in 2020 and will rise to 18,000 hectares by 2025.

At present, the project is focused on a limited number of pilot areas, using these areas to help develop useful solutions for any similar work done in rural Scotland in the future. 

Through this project, we hope to help land managers better understand the potential opportunities for new woodlands and, in turn, seek to deliver wider benefits for the environment and communities in these areas.

Project progress

View our story map for more information.

Related documents

Regional Strategic Woodland Creation Project