Great Britain has more woodland than previous estimates indicated, according to provisional results from the National Forest Inventory.
The provisional results, which included analysis of aerial photography and satellite imagery, show 2.98 million ha of woodland, representing 13% of Britain’s land area – 225,000ha or 8% more than the previous estimate which used data gathered in the late 1990s.
Scotland has 1.385 million ha of woodland, accounting for 17.8% of land area; England has 1.294 million ha (9.9% of land area); and Wales has 303,500ha (14.3%).
The Forestry Commission says the increase is the result of improved technology and the inclusion of small woods in towns and cities for the first time. New tools enabled areas as small as 0.5ha to be noted, whereas previously only the total area of woods greater than 2ha was recorded and the area of smaller woods was estimated.
