A REVISED forestry strategy for Scotland could see 10,000 hectares of woodland planted each year, double the present rate. Draft proposals by the Executive could also bring woodland areas of more than two hectares within 500 metres of one in four of the population by 2015. The move would develop further the "green gym" and outdoor classroom theme that attracted more than 18 million visitors to Scotland's woods and forests last year. Other key aims of the strategy include reducing the rate of climate change, helping community development, improving biodiversity and increasing the volume of timber sales to more than eight million cubic metres by 2025.
Encouraging tree planting by integrating grants withindividual land management contracts for landowners and farmers could move Scotland up the European forestry league within the next 20 years.
At present Scotland's 1.33 million hectares of woodland - one-third state-owned Forestry Commission, two-thirds private - cover 17 per cent of the country. That compares with only 5 per cent a century ago, but lags well behind the European Union average of 36.3 per cent tree coverage and the world average of 29.6 per cent.
Recent attempts to encourage planting in Scotland have been hampered by the halving of timber prices since the mid-1990s and a complicated system of planting and maintenance grants for landowners, farmers and communities.
Rhona Brankin, Scottish forestry minister, said:
"This is a major opportunity for the Scottish public to have their say on a range of important issues such as climate change, use of woods to provide recreation for health and wellbeing, increasing business opportunities and improving wildlife habitats."
The Executive's first forestry strategy was published in 2000. Ms Brankin said that produced a remarkable response from the forestry industry to "deliver an increasing range of benefits", including more than 18 million woodland visitors a year.
A review of the original strategy last year had produced the draft now out for consultation.
The Forestry and Timber Association welcomed the strategy as recognising the need to support the economic and business aspects of forestry to deliver environmental and social benefits.