Landscape and woodland design for woodland creation
Find out how new woodland can enhance landscape character as well as a wide range of benefits to the woodland owner and society.
Applies to England
Purpose
This guidance is tailored to the specific landscape and policy context of England. It outlines the requirements for applicants and agents with respect to landscape and outlines the Landscape Character Appraisal that promotes integrated woodland design. New woodland has the potential to enhance landscape character as well as provide a wide range of benefits to the woodland owner and wider society. For example, assisting adaptation to climate change and nature recovery.
The content is in accord with and reflects the principles of the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS). UKFS good forestry practice requirement 18 requires that:
new forests and woodlands should be located and designed to maintain or enhance the visual, cultural and ecological value and character of the landscape.
The wider UKFS requirements and guidelines explain the principles of the various elements of sustainable forest management. The requirements on landscape should be read in conjunction with those on historic environment, people, biodiversity, soil and water.
The objectives for woodland creation proposals may be many. Timber production, nature recovery or carbon sequestration can all be drivers. A Landscape Character Appraisal (incorporating the requirements of a landscape context, site appraisal, design concept and final woodland creation plans) is an efficient and holistic approach that delivers integrated woodland design in compliance with UKFS.
Landscape
Visual perception is fundamental to the term landscape but landscape is more than just the appearance of a physical area. It is also about how a landscape functions. This is integral to the European Landscape Convention to which the government is a signatory. Landscape, as a cross-cutting theme, can be thought of as a combination of the following elements:
Natural components
- geology
- landform
- ecology
- soils
- hydrology
- climate
Human influences
- land use
- land management
- settlement
Aesthetic qualities
- visual and sensory impressions such as sounds and touch
Cultural values
- historical
- social and personal associations
The incorporation of woodland into any landscape needs to be sensitively handled. New woodland can have the potential to play a positive role in landscape restoration and recovery. The character of the landscape for woodland creation will be a major consideration and may reflect the capacity of a particular landscape to accommodate change.
Landscape can be one of the reasons for a woodland creation proposal to require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consent. This may be because of the size and/or location or setting of a proposal. For example, if the proposal sits within a protected landscape the area threshold for woodland creation is lower.
The Landscape Character Appraisal practice note available from the Forestry Commission in England applies to all schemes and incorporates best practice from the UK Forestry Standard as well as the Guidelines for Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment and Natural England’s approach to Landscape Character Assessment. With its focus on woodland creation a Landscape Character Appraisal can supplant the requirement for a Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment.
Woodland Design Principles
UKFS requires proposals to take account of landscape context and apply the seven woodland design principles. Applying these principles to proposals regardless of location or size will respect and enhance local distinctiveness and ensure good landscape fit.
Spirit of place identifies what makes a place and setting distinctive. This enables woodland design to conserve and emphasise the special qualities of a landscape.
Unity requires new woodland to be designed to fit within its landscape context. At a site scale unity encompasses concepts such as connectivity and interlocking, and how a design responds to landform and landscape patterns.
Landform considers the design of woodland in relation to topography and as a response to soils, exposure and hydrology.
Pattern of enclosure recognises the associated sensitivity and importance to landscape character, biodiversity and historic environment, and considers opportunities for woodland integration. In lowland areas, where landform is often more gentle, field patterns are usually the dominant and most obvious landscape influence for woodland design.
Scale applies at a variety of levels enabling woodland integration within the landscape context and also the design of internal woodland structure and spaces over time.
Shape is a powerful aspect of design at all scales and in all places but, especially in open areas of prominent topography such as uplands.
Diversity in terms of structural, visual and ecological diversity is desirable but it is important to get the balance right from numerous perspectives.
Landscape Character Appraisal
The application of the seven woodland design principles and the analysis of the landscape context will influence the scope of a Landscape Character Appraisal.
The Landscape Character Appraisal involves the following stages and outputs. It is important that the principles are applied from the project start and throughout the project cycle.
- A landscape context plan and accompanying illustrations that identifies, describes and analyses the key landscape and visual characteristics of the wider landscape context.
- A site appraisal plan that maps and appraises the landscape character within the site and the immediate landscape context. Defining areas or zones of broadly similar characteristics.
- Woodland design concept plans, informed by the landscape context and site appraisal plans, brings together the survey and analysis stages. This is a working plan that clearly represents design options.
Based on this process the final woodland creation design plan should be an integrated woodland design that demonstrates how it uses published and stakeholder advice and meets UKFS requirements.
The scale and format of these plans should be proportionate to the proposal and appropriate to the landscape context. For example, whilst an initial landscape context plan might accompany stage one of a Woodland Creation Planning Grant, this might be re-worked at stage two alongside a site appraisal and woodland design concept plans. The production of visualisation materials greatly assists communicating a proposal to stakeholders.
The appraisal can be carried out by a suitably qualified professional with membership of a professional body (such as the Landscape Institute) or by an agent if they have the necessary experience. A discretionary supplementary payment can be awarded through the Woodland Creation Planning Grant if the proposal merits external advice.
A design must consider all the site’s attributes including:
- existing vegetation (including trees and hedgerows but also other habitats)
- operational infrastructure (tracks and fencing)
- public access (if existing or proposed)
- the visual impact of tree planting and establishment (fencing and/or tree tubes)
- treatment of compartment edges
- the network of open space within an integrated design
Species choice is an important design decision and should reference landscape context and site character alongside the tools for assisting in species choice. These could include Forest Development Types and the Ecological Site Classification which factor resilience to climate change and tree health.
Understanding landscape character
Natural England’s 159 National Character Area profiles are a useful reference point for understanding a landscape at a broad scale. In addition, National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and local authorities often publish their own landscape character assessments which are more detailed. Authorities might refer to these assessments when commenting upon woodland creation proposals. The Landscape Institute has compiled a database of landscape character assessments.
Wider strategies and documents might also be referred to including Statutory Management Plans (for AONBs and National Parks), Community Forest Plans, Historic Environment Records (HER), Tree and Woodland Strategies or Local Nature Recovery Strategies
Protected and sensitive landscapes
Whilst each landscape is unique, there are landscapes which can be thought of as particularly sensitive. This might be because of designation (such as a protected landscape), because of their value for recreation, their sense of wildness or ecological richness, their cultural associations, or their geodiversity.
National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and Heritage Coasts together make up our most beautiful and iconic protected landscapes with a unique ‘spirit of place’. AONBs and National Parks produce Statutory Management Plans, and they are consulted about woodland creation proposals to ensure proposals have due regard for the purpose or function of that landscape designation.
Proposals for woodland creation are generally considered on a proposal-by-proposal basis. At a landscape scale a local authority (including National Park Authority) or AONB may undertake a landscape sensitivity study to inform strategic spatial planning and land management across a wide area. Such a study might consider cumulative impacts over various different landscapes and supply recommendations that inform both site selection and woodland design of individual proposals.
Sensitive landscapes may also be locally designated (for example as ‘areas of special landscape value’) however, the lack of designation does not mean a lack of landscape value.
Other landscape considerations
Where public access is a significant consideration, such as on open access land or for a community woodland, then design for recreational provision and amenity would benefit from an appraisal with visualisation material produced for public consultation.
Historic boundaries, settlements and farms are vital elements of landscape character. The wider historic environment should be considered as part of a landscape character appraisal, with opportunities to conserve and enhance the historic environment influencing the final woodland creation plan. For example, recognising Scheduled Monuments or Listed Buildings and their context or using historic maps as the basis to design new woodland and restore features such as historic field boundaries. Local authorities might respond to proposals based on their Historic Environment Records.
Further guidance
This guidance is part of a range of resources developed as part of England Trees Action Plan. Specialist technical advice is available from the Forestry Commission with respect to a range of landscape and woodland design issues including the design of woodland edge, designing for patterns of enclosure, and community woodland design.
Further reading
Forestry Commission (2017) UKFS requirements and guidance
Forestry Commission (2018) Design techniques for Forest Management Planning provides useful supporting guidance.
Landscape Institutes’ Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (2013) Guidelines for Landscape & Visual Assessment GLVIA 3 (2013)
Natural England (2014) An Approach to Landscape Character Assessment.
Natural England (2019) An Approach to Landscape Sensitivity assessment – to inform spatial planning and land management
Tree Council ( 2023) Tree & Woodland Strategy Toolkit for Local Authorities.
Definitions from UKFS
Landscape
An area, as perceived by people, the character of which is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors (Article 1, European Landscape Convention, Council of Europe).
Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA)
A technique used to assess the effects of change on the landscape. The assessments help to locate and design the proposed change, so that negative landscape effects are avoided, reduced or offset.
Landscape character
The distinct and recognisable pattern of elements that occur consistently in a particular type of landscape and combine to describe its essential nature.
Landscape Character Assessment
The process of identifying and describing variation in the character of the landscape. It seeks to identify and explain the unique combination of elements and features (characteristics) that make landscapes distinctive. This process results in the production of a Landscape Character Assessment (An Approach to Landscape Character Assessment, Natural England, 2014).
Landscape context
The relevant circumstances pertaining to the site, situation and local area; in landscape these will include the landscape character, sensitivity, distinctiveness, historic and cultural significance.
Landscape sensitivity
A measure of the resilience, or robustness, of a landscape to withstand specified change arising from development types or land management practices, without undue negative effects on the landscape and visual baseline and their value – such as changes to valued attributes of baseline landscape character and the visual resource. (An Approach to Landscape Sensitivity assessment – to inform spatial planning and land management, Natural England, 2019).
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