England Woodland Creation Full Sensitivity Map v4.0

<p>These maps will help to indicate to landowners whether there
is likely to be potential to establish new woodland on their land, and where
there may be sensitivities that would preclude woodland creation. The maps do
not indicate that, where there is a low sensitivity to new woodland being
created, planting will be agreed by the Forestry Commission, the regulator for
woodland and forestry projects in England. However, the low sensitivity areas
do not have clear constraints to address on the basis of national datasets, and
it should be easier to agree creating new woodland here than in other areas.
Likewise, creation of new woodland, particularly of native woodland, may be
appropriate outside ‘low sensitivity’ areas, but the appropriateness of
proposals in these areas will again be determined by the Forestry Commission,
including through responding to the views of Natural England, Environment
Agency, Historic England, the Local Authority and other stakeholders, where
relevant. The Sensitivity Maps exclude all land that is unsuitable for
planting, including urban areas, existing (and assumed) woodland and habitats
that are considered too wet, too rocky, and too salty to support the growth of
trees. </p><p>This is achieved through restricting the Sensitivity Maps to the
following land covers, based on the most recent update of Landcover Map: Acid
grassland, Arable and horticulture, Calcareous grassland, Heather, Heather
grassland, Improved grassland, and Neutral grassland The spatial datasets and
individual layers of those datasets that define land as unsuitable and low,
medium, or high sensitivity for woodland creation in the Full Sensitivity Map
version 4.0, the Low Sensitivity Map and their variants are set out in the
document here:&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;</p>

<p><a href='https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-guide-to-forestry-commissions-sensitivity-maps-for-woodland-creation' rel='nofollow ugc'>https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-guide-to-forestry-commissions-sensitivity-maps-for-woodland-creation</a>&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;</p>