Create a woodland management plan

The UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) sets out the UK government’s approach to sustainable forestry and woodland management, including standards and requirements, regulations and monitoring, and reporting. It applies to all woodland and woodland operations, regardless of who owns or manages it.

Why create a management plan?

1. Creating a woodland management plan can demonstrate sustainable forest management and it supports the planning and implementation of work proposals and their long term monitoring.
2. Some grant schemes ask land managers to have an approved management plan in place priorbefore to making an application.
3. The plan of operationsoperations, which makes up part of the management planplan, meansallows it is possible for land managers to plan for and be issued with a felling licence for up to 10 years of felling.years.

If you want to create a woodland plan, you should include all woodland on your property.

How to produce your plan

For woodland up to 3 hectares,hectares you should use the small woodland plan template:

• small woodland plan template (ODT, 160 KB)
• small woodland plan template (MS Word Document, 168 KB)
• small woodland plan template (PDF, 266 KB, 6 pages)

For woodland between 3 and 10 hectares, you can use either the small woodland plan template or the full woodland management plan template.

A grant is available to help fund the production of a woodland management plan for woodland over 3 hectares. Read more about the Countryside Stewardship option PA3.

If you wish to apply for the grant, you must use the full woodland management plan template:

• full woodland management plan template (ODT, 736734 KB)
• full woodland management plan template (MS Word Document, 7512.01 KBMB)
• full woodland management plan template (PDF, 434 KB, 19 pages)

If you do not intend to apply for the grant, you may use the small woodland plan template for woodlands up to 10 hectares. This will still enableenables you to apply for a felling licence.

For woodland over 10 hectares, you should use the full woodland management plan template.

Woodland

Non-Forestry managementCommission planwoodland applications must include:

• the plan of operations template
• your own maps
• information about the woodland including its history, previous management, structure and composition, risks and issues and how they will be addressed
• the work you intend to do

templates

For non-Forestry Commission woodland plan templates that don’t match our woodland plan template, use this cover sheet (MS Word Document, 36.5 KB). thatIt statesexplains the UKFS criteria being assessed and provides a consistent framework for us to review the plan.

Non-Forestry Commission woodland plan templates are not eligible for funding to prepare a woodland management plan through Countryside Stewardship.

Download

Complete the inventory and plan of operations worksheet

For all woodland plan template types, complete the inventory and plan of operations.operations worksheet. It sets out your woodland inventory and must relate directly to compartments and subsub-compartments compartments shown on your map(s).maps. The Planplan of Operationsoperations also gathers information relating to felling and restocking and is necessary for issuing a felling licence.

There Useare 2 versions of this worksheet:

• versionInventory withand variousplan of operations worksheet (V4): with formulas (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 1.191.08 MB),: whichthis highlights where data entry errors exist on the worksheets so you can make corrections.corrections
• Inventory Alternatively,and youplan canof useoperations theworksheet version(V4): with no formulas (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 341321 KB),: itthis enableslets you to enter data more freely, but it has no error checking andso we may have to return it to you for corrections.
  corrections

ProduceYou amust map:use they’reversion an4 excellent(V4) wayof the worksheet, older versions could be rejected.

Produce a map

Maps help to communicate information to support your management plan. Use several maps to show a variety of topics or themes affecting your woodland. You must ensure that each compartment you show on the map is reflected in the Inventoryinventory of the Planplan of Operations. operations.

You can create a map by:

• submitting a map request
• using myForest service
• using your own Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Ensure you have the right to use any map submitted to us for commercial purposes. You can userequest a map from using our map request service.

Read our guide

Read our guidance on how to create a woodland management plan using the template (PDF, 635 KB, 28 pages). This guidance will help you complete a woodland management plan successfully,successfully usingusing:

• our the Forestry Commission plan template, template
• the Inventoryinventory and Planplan of Operationsoperations worksheet and
• your associated maps. maps

Read this guidance thoroughly and refer to it regularly.

Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier

If you are drafting your plan with the intention of applying for a Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier, application, please refer to this checking aid (ODT, 61.5 KB). toIt helptells you understand what should be included to ensure youyou’re are covering all relevant information in your plan. Your woodland management plan must support and validate your CS Higher Tier application.

Submit your draft woodland management plan

Submit your draft woodland management plan to the administrativeOperational hubDelivery Team Hub covering your area. Make sure you include:

• a completed woodland management plan template
• an inventory and plan of operations worksheet (version 4)
• ayour mapmap(s)
• the GIS shapefile data of your map, if possible
• a plan submission proforma (MS Word Document, 16.3 KB) if you’re receiving funding from the Countryside Stewardship scheme

Administrative

Submit hubyour contactshapefile details

data

ForIf moreyou information,have contactcreated shapefiles for your maps in GIS software, it would be helpful to share that data with us.

Shapefiles are not mandatory, but they can help speed up processing and could lead to your management plan being approved faster.

If you can not provide shapefile data, your application can still be progressed, but it may take slightly longer to process.

By sending us your shapefiles, you agree we can use the data for any purpose necessary for the processing and approving of your management plan.

As a public authority we are subject to Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations. We may be required to disclose any information we hold in compliance with the open information legislation.

Check if your woodland is designated or has special features

Designated areas or features should be indicated on one of the annotated maps within your plan. If a designation applies, please provide details.

Magic Mapmap

Use Natural England’s ‘MAGIC’ map to check if your woodland is designated, for example, as an SSSI. You can also search for other features (such as scheduled monuments, priority habitats and species) and information such as Countryside Stewardship scheme details in your area.

The Land Information Search

The Forestry Commission’s Land Information Search (LIS) is another map-based tool that allows you to search for information about land designations or features that might already apply to your woodland. Examples of these features include:

• previous felling schemes
• grant schemes

Learn how to identify common constraints and designations within your management plan area, and how to rectify them, read:

• forestry project checks: all projects
• forestry project checks: constraints

Find out how the Forestry Commission supports you if you do own woodland on an SSSI.

Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) are protected by law to conserve their wildlife or geology so you must declare designations, as some require consent before you begin work on your proposed plans. If you fail to disclose any designations or features you may be acting illegally.

Example woodland management plans

See examples of completed woodland management plans:

• Woodland management plan: example 1 (PDF, 474 KB, 26 pages)
• Woodland management plan: example 2 (PDF, 393 KB, 23 pages)
• Woodland management plan: example 3 (PDF, 446 KB, 28 pages)

Authorise an agent to act on your behalf

If you choose to appoint an agent to develop your woodland management plan you must sign a form to give an agent authority to act for you when dealing with the Forestry Commission. You can submit this agent authority form as part of your application for funding.

You’ll also need to set agent permission levels using the Rural Payments service to appoint an agent to act on your behalf if you’re applying for Countryside Stewardship funding.

Contact the Forestry Commissionus

Your nearest Operational Delivery Team Hub can offer guidance on processes and timings and your application.