Managing soil

In Scotland, the sustainable management and protection of soils is promoted by the the Scottish Soil Framework.

Managing soil and water in your woodland involves several key responsibilities to ensure sustainability and compliance with regulations:

• Adherence to UK Forestry Standard (UKFS)

  Follow the UKFS guidelines, which provide best practices for protecting soil resources during forestry activities. This includes maintaining soil structure and preventing erosion.
   

• Soil Conservation

  Avoid activities that could lead to soil compaction or degradation. Use appropriate machinery and techniques to minimise soil disturbance.
   

• Monitoring and Reporting

  Regularly monitor soil conditions and report any significant changes or issues to the relevant authorities.
   

• Habitat Considerations

  Consider the impact of soil management on local habitats and species, ensuring that biodiversity is protected.

Forest managers may also wish to read about research on soil sustainability by Forest Research.

To comply with the UK Forestry Standard, forest owners and managers will, on occasion, need to collect data on the soils in their forests. 

To apply for consent or grant support through Scottish Forestry, data on soils is also needed. You should understand how to collect this data.

We recommend you consult the applicant's guide for Cultivation for Upland Productive Woodland Creation Sites. This aims to help forestry practitioners choose cultivation techniques for those sites.

It provides a framework for:

• discussion at planning stage
• ensuring you make reasoned and appropriate choices for cultivation based on the site’s soil type(s)

Follow the guidance. This will help ensure that cultivation operations meet UK Forestry Standard requirements and guidelines on soils and water.

It's now well accepted that trees can help to mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon. However, forestry operations on deep peat can, in some cases, release carbon due to changes in the soil.

The UK Forestry Standard reflects this, you:

• Should not establish new forests on deep peat (over 50 cm deep).
• Should not plant if it would harm the hydrology of a nearby bog or wetland.
• Weigh the carbon impact of different management options on deep peat sites that are already afforested,
• Also consider timber production, biodiversity, and the landscape (restocking is not necessarily the best option)

The carbon science of trees and peatland is a rapidly developing area. We'll review our guidance as new science emerges. This guidance promotes good forestry practice. It also helps implement the National Peatland Plan for Scotland.