UK Forestry Standard Edition 5: 65% Single Species Maximum in a Forestry Species Mix
Context
The UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) is the reference standard for sustainable forest management in the UK. The UKFS was created across the UK, with forestry governed by Scottish Forestry, the Forestry Commission (England), Natural Resources Wales and the Forest Service (Northern Ireland).
The standard has legally binding obligations. It outlines the UK government’s approach to sustainable forest management, defines standards and requirements, and provides a basis for national and international regulation, monitoring and reporting.
Is this relevant for me?
The UKFS encompasses biodiversity, climate change, historic environments, landscape, people, soils and water – so if you are not directly involved with forest planning and planting, the UKFS update is still relevant to be aware of.
If you work with or are responsible for forests and woodlands, direct application of all UKFS updates are relevant for you. You may be a land consultant, land manager, owner or practitioner from a private organisation, government agency, local authority, NGO, trust or charity.
Update
The 5th edition of UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) states from 1 October 2024, the majority of forest creation and restocking projects must ensure there is a maximum of 65% of a single species within the area species mix – a decrease from 75%.
The aim is to encourage forest biodiversity resilience for climate mitigation, minimise disease and pest risk, and to support a variety of animal and other plant species.
Action
Ecological Site Classification
In the Rethink Platform, users can create, visualise and compare woodland creation scenarios. With ESC integration, any parcel of land can be analysed In just a few seconds, informing the user of Very Suitable, Suitable, Marginal or Unsuitable species specific to that site, as well as key information in regards to Yield Class and threats.
Users can configure the ESC tool based on local knowledge, including soil management regime, soil nutrient regime, drainage, fertilisers and exposure, and apply a species filter – all inline with Forestry Research criteria.
Woodland Carbon Code
With the integration of the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC), it is very simple to run and compare woodland scenarios in the Rethink Platform. Project scenarios can be compared by selecting a base grant, species mix, yield class, project duration, price per tonne, leakage (tCO₂e) and other factors. In seconds, the user is given an overview of WCC Pending Issuance Units income and WCC carbon sequestration across the project lifetime.
Bare in mind
The other previous criteria still remains:
- A minimum of 10% open space (or ground managed for biodiversity as the primary objective)
- A minimum of 10% other species
- A minimum of 5% native broadleaved trees or shrubs
There are certain exceptions to this new figure, including in forests of less than 10 hectares and in native woods, the criteria may be relaxed if the adjacent land uses deliver landscape and habitat diversity.
The UKFS update will be updated in the Rethink Platform, helping to advise users on species mix and open space.
If you’d like to know more about how the Rethink Platform can help you streamline this process in seconds, get in touch below or drop us an email at info@rethinkcarbon.co.uk
Read more about the UKFS on the official document.
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