Land Capability for Forestry (LCF)

The Land Capability Classification for Forestry is based on an assessment of the increasing degree of limitation imposed by the physical factors of soil, topography and climate on the growth of trees and on silvicultural practices. The system described is designed for use at several levels depending on the amount and accuracy of the available data and on the purpose for which the information is required. The main use of the Land Capability Classification for Forestry is as an aid to decision-making at broad planning levels, as a guide for land managers and as a statement of the natural resources of the land of Britain in terms of forestry potential for educational and general interest purposes. The system is an interpretation derived from several sources and, as with all such approaches, will be subject to some degree of arbitrary decision.

The digital dataset contains information on the 'class' of soil. Classes range from F1 (land offering excellent flexibility for growth and management) to F7 (land unsuitable for producing trees) with seven types of limitations, these being climate, wind throw, nutrients, topography, droughtiness, wetness and soil.

The map was based on a reclassification of the 580 soil map units of the National soil map of Scotland with limited field validation. A set of rules were applied to each of the soil map units combined with information on climate and relief to assign the map units to a capability class for forestry.

The dataset should be cited as Soil Survey of Scotland Staff. (1988). Land Capability for Forestry of Scotland at a Scale of 1:250 000. Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Aberdeen. 10.5281/zenodo.6322608.

There is an accompanying handbook which describes the classification system in detail (Bibby, J.S., Heslop, R.E.F. and Hartnup, R. 1988. Land Capability Classification for Forestry in Britain. The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Aberdeen. ISBN-0-7084-0467-7.

The maintenance of this dataset is funded by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Government. The data can also be downloaded from or viewed at https://www.hutton.ac.uk/soil-maps/ or viewed at  https://soils.environment.gov.scot.

Class F1. Land with excellent flexibility for the growth and management of tree cropsClass F2. Land with very good flexibility for the growth and management of tree cropsClass F3. Land with good flexibility for the growth and management of tree cropsClass F4. Land with moderate flexibility for the growth and management of tree cropsClass F5. Land with limited flexibility for the growth and management of tree cropsClass F6. Land with very limited flexibility for the growth and management of tree cropsClass F7. Land unsuitable for producing tree crops

林业土地能力分类（Land Capability Classification for Forestry）基于对土壤、地形与气候等自然物理因素对林木生长及营林作业施加的限制程度递增情况的评估。本研究所描述的分类体系可根据可用数据的规模与精度，以及信息需求的实际用途，在多个层级上灵活应用。林业土地能力分类的核心用途包括：作为宏观规划层级决策制定的辅助工具，为土地管理者提供专业指引，以及以林业潜力为维度阐释英国土地的自然资源禀赋，用于教育推广与大众科普场景。该体系源自多源数据的整合解读，与所有同类研究方法一样，会存在一定程度的主观判定空间。
本数字数据集涵盖土壤“类别”相关信息。类别覆盖范围从F1（对林木生长与经营具备极佳适配灵活性的土地）至F7（不适宜开展林木生产的土地），共包含7类限制因素，分别为气候、风倒、养分、地形、干旱、渍涝与土壤自身特性。
本数据集配套的地图基于苏格兰国家土壤地图的580个土壤图斑的重分类结果，仅经过有限的野外实地验证。研究人员为每个土壤图斑应用了一套分类规则，并结合气候与地形信息，将各图斑划归至对应的林业土地能力类别。
该数据集的引用格式为：苏格兰土壤调查工作组（Soil Survey of Scotland Staff）. (1988). 1:25万比例尺苏格兰林业土地能力分类. 阿伯丁麦考莱土地利用研究所（Macaulay Land Use Research Institute）. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6322608.
另有配套手册详细阐释了该分类体系（Bibby, J.S., Heslop, R.E.F. 与 Hartnup, R. 1988. 《英国林业土地能力分类》. 阿伯丁麦考莱土地利用研究所. ISBN: 0-7084-0467-7）。
本数据集的维护工作由苏格兰政府农村与环境科学及分析服务部门资助。数据可通过以下网址下载或在线浏览：https://www.hutton.ac.uk/soil-maps/，或通过 https://soils.environment.gov.scot 查看。
F1类：对林木作物的生长与经营具备极佳适配灵活性的土地
F2类：对林木作物的生长与经营具备十分优异的适配灵活性的土地
F3类：对林木作物的生长与经营具备良好适配灵活性的土地
F4类：对林木作物的生长与经营具备中等适配灵活性的土地
F5类：对林木作物的生长与经营具备有限适配灵活性的土地
F6类：对林木作物的生长与经营具备极有限适配灵活性的土地
F7类：不适宜开展林木生产的土地