If Brazil had been deforested to the same extent as much of Scotland in the early 1900s, you’d be able to walk the length of the Amazon and hardly see a single tree.
That startling illustration of the depletion over centuries of Scotland’s woodlands is helping Forestry Commission Scotland to promote its Climate Change Action Plan.
The plan details six things that public and private sector forestry can offer to help the global effort to tackle the challenges of climate change, highlighting the importance of conserving and expanding our existing forests.
Launching the plan today (Friday 30 January) Environment Minister, Michael Russell, said:
“Everybody knows that the Brazilian rainforests are the lungs of the world – but every woodland, anywhere in the world helps to capture CO2 and tackle climate change.
“Scotland’s woodlands are doing their bit. They have recovered to some extent over the past century - now one sixth of our land area is forested - but it is patently clear that they could be making a much more effective contribution.
“This action plan is set to lead the way as Scotland’s forestry sector shapes up to meet the challenges ahead.”
In addition to conserving and managing existing forests and restoring forest cover, emphasis is placed on the carbon reducing benefits of wood fuel and of timber as a construction material.
A key priority is adapting forestry practices to ensure that the right trees are planted in the right locations to help Scotland grow a sustainable economy and to benefit the environment, ecosystems and communities.
Mr Russell added:
"Scotland has enormous potential for creating new forests and significantly increasing the scale of our contribution to tackling climate change. Realising these ambitions will ensure Scottish forestry is playing it's full part in tackling the challenges of climate change - and will show the rest of the world that we mean business.”
The Climate Change Action Plan can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk/ccapscotland . Hard copies can also be obtained from Forestry Commission Scotland by emailing your postal address to jacquie.christie@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
Notes to Editors
1) Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Government’s forestry directorate and as manager of the 667,000 hectare national forest estate, is playing a major part in Scottish forestry's contribution to the fight against climate change. With trees naturally locking up carbon, they have a significant role in reducing the affects of climate change. The use of wood as a fuel will also help reduce harmful greenhouse emissions and the Commission is working hard to promote woodfuel developments across the country. Forestry Commission Scotland is continuing to protect, manage and expand Scotland’s forests and woodlands in a way which helps in the fight against climate change. www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland.
2) At the turn of the 19th Century, Scotland's forest cover had been reduced by climatic changes and human activities to only about 5% of the total land area, about half of which was semi-natural. Now, 17% of Scotland is forested, with native woodland making up about one third of that area. This total forested area is about half of the average of other EU countries and is less than one third of the woodland area that once covered Scotland.
3) Deforestation is a significant global issue. Some 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed annually throughout the world, contributing almost one fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions - which is more than the emissions from all forms of transport.