The future of Scottish Forestry as a standalone organisation has been thrown into doubt, with forestry leaders warning that a proposed public sector merger could put specialist expertise and woodland creation targets at risk.
The Scottish Government plans to bring SEPA, NatureScot and Zero Waste Scotland together into a single government agency, with Scottish Forestry potentially included in the reforms.
The plans were outlined in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, with First Minister John Swinney describing the changes as the ‘most radical reshaping of public services’ since the Scottish Parliament was established.
The stated aim is to remove duplication and create a ‘decluttered public sector landscape’.
However, the prospect of Scottish Forestry being absorbed into a larger organisation has prompted concern from across the forestry industry.
Confor, Woodland Trust Scotland and the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) have written jointly to senior MSPs, including cabinet secretary for climate action and rural affairs Gillian Martin and agriculture, marine and islands minister Jim Fairlie.
The organisations say the potential merger gives them “grave cause for concern” and that they are “not clear how your proposals will improve delivery”.
‘Invest in forestry expertise’
The industry groups are particularly concerned about the potential loss of specialist knowledge within government.
“We are particularly concerned that any merger could result in the loss of essential forestry expertise from within the government, which would be fundamentally damaging to woodland creation in Scotland,” the letter states.
“We also consider that any such proposal would mistakenly categorise forestry as purely an environmental activity.”
Louise Simpson, executive director at the Institute of Chartered Foresters, said the government should protect the expertise currently available within Scottish Forestry.
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“Now is the time to invest in forestry expertise, not risk losing it,” she said.
“We are seeking clear assurances that Scotland’s forestry capability will be protected and strengthened through any reform.”
The Scottish Government has not yet confirmed whether Scottish Forestry will be included, or which functions and staff from the existing bodies would transfer, to the proposed organisation.
Consultation and stakeholder engagement on the new structure are expected this autumn, with the government indicating that the new body could be operational by 2029.
Concerns over planting targets
The industry groups argue that a dedicated forestry agency is essential if Scotland is to meet its ambitious woodland creation targets.
The Programme for Government commits to “increasing woodland creation so that, by 2029-30, 18,000 hectares of woodland are created each year, of which at least 40% will be native”, with the longer-term aim of reaching 21% woodland cover by 2032.
The organisations behind the letter argue that these targets will be difficult to achieve without a dedicated agency providing specialist technical expertise and capacity.
They also warn that work already undertaken to develop a route map towards the tree-planting target could be disrupted by a merger at a time when delivery needs to accelerate.
The letter states that any regulator and grant administrator responsible for woodland creation and management requires technical skills and experience, institutional knowledge, policy expertise and sufficient staff capacity.
These, the organisations say, are functions currently provided by Scottish Forestry.
Economic as well as environmental role
The forestry organisations also reject the idea that forestry should be viewed primarily as an environmental activity.
They point to the industry’s contribution to Scotland’s rural and wider economy, citing Scottish Government figures showing the sector generates £1.1 billion in gross value added and supports more than 34,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
The letter highlights Scottish Forestry’s role in regulating the sector through the UK Forestry Standard and felling licensing, while also promoting economic and wider societal outcomes alongside environmental objectives.
Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor, said the industry understood the government’s desire to reduce the number of public bodies.
“Confor understands the Scottish Government’s attempt to rationalise the number of public bodies, and we share its desire to make it easier to expand forestry, which is critical for economic and jobs growth, climate change action and a low-carbon construction sector.
“However we are concerned about some specific unintended consequences which we know will arise from the proposals around Scottish Forestry and the environment agencies.”
Lessons from Wales
The industry has also pointed to the experience of Wales, where Forestry Commission Wales was incorporated into Natural Resources Wales in April 2013.
The organisations claim the restructuring resulted in a significant loss of institutional forestry expertise as staff left.
They say Wales has subsequently consistently fallen significantly short of its woodland creation ambitions, achieving less than 20% of its planting target, while Scotland has consistently achieved more than 70%.
The comparison has heightened concerns among Scottish forestry representatives about the potential consequences of removing a dedicated forestry organisation.
Government defends reforms
The Scottish Government has defended the proposed reforms, stressing that the intention is to build on the strengths of the existing bodies rather than undermine their work.
Gillian Martin said: “Bringing these environmental bodies together into a single, modern organisation will create a more joined-up approach, remove unnecessary barriers and make our environmental interventions more impactful to help us tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and to accelerate the gains from a more circular economy.
“This ambitious reform will build on the strengths of the existing bodies and retain their functions.”
The government’s plans therefore face a significant test in the months ahead, as ministers seek to demonstrate that greater efficiency and a streamlined public sector can be achieved without losing the specialist forestry expertise the industry says is essential to increasing woodland creation.
For the forestry sector, the central question is now whether Scottish Forestry’s specialist role can be protected and strengthened within whatever structure ultimately emerges.
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