Indicator description
The indicator shows the percentage of the woodland area in the
UK that is certified against agreed environmental standards,
derived from the areas reported on certificates and statistical
enquiries to selected certificate holders. The assessment is based
on a two-year average from the baseline, using the two earliest
consecutive years available. Certification in the UK began in 1996
and regular data collection commenced in 2004. In 2010, the
proportion of woodland certified has increased to 45 per cent (1.3
million of a total of 2.8 million hectares) from 37 per cent in
2001.
Over the same period, the proportion of woodland certified has
increased in England (from 25 per cent to 30 per cent), Scotland
(from 43 per cent to 56 per cent) and Wales (from 42 per cent to 44
per cent) and has fallen slightly in Northern Ireland (from 75 per
cent to 73 per cent).
Relevance
Woodland certification assesses management practices against
agreed environmental standards. Certification requires that wood
products are harvested legally and sustainably and that important
wildlife habitats are identified and not negatively impacted by
management.
Background
Certification in the UK began in 1996, with data collation
starting in 2001, becoming a regular annual collation in
2004. A breakdown by country, giving areas of woodland under
certified management is given in Table 7(i).
Table 7 (i). Area of woodland (thousands of ha) under certified
management in March 2010
|
Ownership
|
England
|
Scotland
|
Wales
|
N Ireland
|
UK
|
|
Forestry Commission / Forest Service (‘000 ha)
|
199 |
105 |
443 |
61 |
809 |
|
Non-FC / FS (‘000 ha)
|
144 |
18 |
314 |
3 |
479 |
|
Total certified area (‘000 ha)
|
343
|
124
|
757
|
64
|
1,288
|
Source: Forestry Commission: where possible, calculations have
used the total woodland area certified, rather than the total land
area certified.