Native Woodland Survey of Scotland

Native Woodland Survey of Scotland
Start date	November 2006
End date	December 2013
Location	Scotland
Method	Desk-based Geographic Information System analysis checked by follow-up walk through survey
	forestry.gov.scot/forests-environment/biodiversity/native-woodlands/native-woodland-survey-of-scotland-nwss

The Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) has been developed by the Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) to collect information that enables future monitoring of the extent and condition of the total Scottish native woodland resource and supports policy development. Field work started in 2006 and when completed by 2013 it will be the most comprehensive survey of its kind undertaken to date.^{[citation needed]}

Survey aims

The aim of the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland is to identify all native, nearly native and plantation on ancient woodland sites (PAWS), woodlands of at least 0.5ha in order to create a woodland map linked to a spatial dataset showing the type, extent, composition and condition of these woods. PAWS are also surveyed, even where they are not mainly native in species composition in order to provide information to help maintain or restore their remaining biodiversity value.

Wet woodland joining a conifer plantation

Survey process

The field surveyors do a walk-through survey of every "candidate" woodland. The surveyors follow the procedures laid out in a detailed protocol and record a range of attributes to describe and record the woodland and their boundaries.

Results

Summaries of the key results will be published for each local authority area in Scotland, in a series of reports on the NWSS web-pages on the Forestry Commission Scotland website. These will be followed by a national summary report. The spatial dataset can be looked at through FCS Map Viewer and Data Download site. Guidance notes are available on the NWSS web-pages to help users interpret the data and consider further uses and analyses.

A copy of the survey plan, process, procedures and a full list of the features assessed can be found at NWSS home website.

References

1) Nelson, D. 2010. The Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS). Scottish Forestry Vol 64 (3).
2) Robertson, P. & Grieve, Y. 2010. Quality Assuring a National Native Woodland Survey. Scottish Forestry Vol 64 (4).
3) Grieve, Y. 2011. The Native Woodland Survey of Scotland dataset: what you get and how to get it! Scottish Forestry Vol 65 (1).