THOUSANDS of hectares of new woodland have been planted in Scotland in the past year, according to new figures.
The Forestry Commission said 5700 hectares of new broadleaf woodland was planted in Scotland in 2011/12 – the highest amount since 2001. A total of 3300 hectares of conifer were also planted.
The Woodland Trust, which is campaigning for a doubling of native woodland cover in the next 50 years, said the figures were a "big improvement" on previous years but the level achieved so far needed to be maintained in the long term to ensure its target was reached.
Angus Yarwood, Woodland Trust Scotland's government affairs manager, said: "The Scottish Government made a clear commitment to increasing forest cover in their manifesto last year. In order to do that we need to maintain the attractive grants that are on offer for native planting.
"There is significant pressure from industry to reduce the incentives for native planting because coniferous planting is falling behind. We accept the need for productive timber, but it should not come at the expense of native woodland."
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