England Woodland Creation Low Sensitivity Map v4.0

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. <div><br /></div><div>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:<div><br /></div><div>https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-guide-to-forestry-commissions-sensitivity-maps-for-woodland-creation</div></div>