"New Forestry" in Scotland

Abstract

In 1919, the Forestry Commission of Great Britain embarked on a successful program of increasing Scotland's domestic wood supply by establishing plantations of nonnative conifers. Softwood plantation silviculture remains the cornerstone of Scottish forestry, but Scots are increasingly seeking a variety of nontimber benefits. Non-industrial private landowners are planting native hardwoods for diversity, landscape, and heritage values, and the Forestry Commission is supporting their efforts through government policy, research, and cost-share programs. "Continuous cover forestry" is becoming a popular alternative to clearcutting; this silvicultural concept uses partial harvests and natural regeneration to transform even-aged, simply structured forests to multiaged, more structurally complex forests.