Releases/ publications - Indicators - UK

 

UK indicators of Sustainable Forestry

The Forestry Commission, in association with the Forest Service (Northern Ireland) published "UK Indicators of Sustainable Forestry" on 31 October 2002. The 40 indicators cover a wide range of aspects of sustainable forestry in the UK. Updated information is available on this website, grouped under six themes:

Woodland
Biodiversity
Condition of forest and environment
Timber and other forest products
People and forests
Economic aspects

The indicators were developed through two rounds of consultation in 2001 and 2002. Where possible, the publication includes statistics for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as for the UK as a whole.

UK Indicators of Sustainable Development

The UK Sustainable Development Strategy was launched in March 2005.  It includes 20 UK Framework indicators agreed between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations, and a further 48 indicators supporting priorities in the UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy.  The indicators are listed on the website and figures are published in Sustainable Development Indicators In Your Pocket.  One of the 20 UK Framework indicators includes woodland birds as part of an indicator of bird populations, while one of the other 48 indicators includes total woodland area as part of a contextual indicator of land use.

The previous Quality of Life Counts indicators of sustainable development were published in 1999.  One of the 15 headline indicators used as a 'quality of life barometer' includes an index of woodland birds.  These were supported by a core set of 147 indicators, updated in 2004, which included three indicators for forestry in the UK – total area of woodland, area of ancient semi-natural woodland, and certified woodland area as an indicator of forest management.

Certification

There are links between the development of indicators, monitoring at forest management unit level for the UK Forestry Standard, and certification standards such as the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS).