Area of forestry land certified as sustainably managed
Last updated: 2024
Latest data available: 2024
Introduction
This indicator shows the percentage of the woodland area in the UK that is certified against agreed environmental standards. Certification of woodlands promotes responsible forest management to safeguard forests’ natural heritage and protect threatened species. Woodland certification schemes are used to demonstrate that wood or wood products come from well-managed forests.
Data for this indicator are sourced from the Forest Research Forestry Statistics 2024 publication, they can be found in the published datafile. We also have a similar indicator at the England level.
Type of indicator
State indicator
Type of official statistics
Accredited official statistic
Assessment of change
Area of UK woodland certified as sustainably managed.
| Measure | Assessment | Time period | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of woodland certified | Long term | 2001 to 2024 | Improving |
| Percentage of woodland certified | Short term | 2019 to 2024 | Little or no overall change |
Notes on the indicator assessment
Long- and short-term assessments are based on a 3% rule of thumb. Where possible, the base years for these assessments use a three-year average. See Assessing Indicators.
Key results
In March 2024, there were 1.44 million hectares of certified woodland across the UK, representing almost 44% of the total woodland area (Figure 1).
The overall proportion of woodland certified as sustainably managed in the UK increased from 36% in 2001 to 44% in 2007. Since then, it has remained relatively stable at around 43% to 44%.
The proportion of woodland that is certified has increased in all countries across the UK since 2001 apart from Northern Ireland (Figure 2).
Note: The percentage fall observed in Northern Ireland is caused by a change in the data source for estimating the total woodland area in the country between 2011 and 2012. The area certified in Northern Ireland has remained reasonably stable over the entire period, rising slightly (from around 62,000 in 2001 to around 66,000 hectares in 2024) (Table 1).
Figure 1: Percentage of woodland area certified as sustainably managed in the UK, 2001 to 2024
Source: Forest Research, Forestry Statistics 2024
Notes about Figure 1
- All figures relate to data at 31 March each year, apart from 2001 (31 December) and 2002 (30 September), with regular data collection from 2004.
Figure 2: Percentage of UK woodland area certified as sustainably managed by country, 2001 and 2024
Source: Forest Research, Forestry Statistics 2024
Notes about Figure 2
- Percentage labels have been rounded.
- The percentage fall observed for Northern Ireland should be treated with caution as the data source for estimating the total woodland area in the country changed between 2011 and 2012.
Further detail
The indicator shows the percentage of the woodland area in the UK that is certified against agreed environmental standards, derived from the areas reported on certificates and more detailed assessment of selected certificate holders. The total area certified can change if new woodlands are certified, if existing certificates are not renewed, or if there is a time lag in renewal of an existing certificate. A breakdown by country, giving areas of woodland under certified management by ownership type (either public or private) in 2024 is provided in Table 1.
Table 1: Area of UK woodland under certified management in March 2024, by country and ownership (thousand hectares)
| Ownership | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public | 214 | 115 | 469 | 62 | 860 |
| Private | 96 | 34 | 441 | 4 | 575 |
| Total woodland area certified | 310 | 149 | 910 | 66 | 1,435 |
Source: Forest Research, Forestry Statistics 2024
Notes about Table 1
- Public sector owners include: Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland, Natural Resources Wales and Forest Service.
- Where possible, calculations have used the total woodland area certified, rather than the total land area certified.
- All Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland, Natural Resources Wales and Forest Service woodland is certified, areas shown are latest estimates of woodland areas.
- Natural Resources Wales estimates only relate to the Welsh Government Woodland Estate.
- The totals may not match the sum of figures in the rows above due to rounding.
Certification in the UK began in 1996, with data collation starting in 2001, and regular annual collation commencing in 2004. All certified woodland in 2024 is certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) scheme or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) scheme, with many woodlands certified under both schemes. New certificates may relate to existing woodland that was not previously certified or to newly planted areas. In order for products produced from timber to be certified as sustainable, both forest management practices and the Chain of Custody, which tracks timber from forest to retail outlet, must be assessed.
The woodland area statistics used in the 2024 update of this indicator are based on the National Forest Inventory (NFI) woodland map of Great Britain at March 2022. This map replaces an interim NFI woodland map from 2021 used to update the indicator over the last 3 years, and this change has resulted in revisions to woodland area figures for England, Scotland, Wales, and the UK for 2021 to 2023.
Data for Grown in Britain, previously included in this indicator as a valid woodland certification scheme, were removed during the 2024 update. This removal has resulted in revisions to both the total and the private sector area of certified woodland for 2020 to 2023. These reductions amount to up to 8,000 hectares for England (-8%) and less than 1,000 hectares in each of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Certified woodland areas are often used as an indicator of sustainable forest management; however, woodland that is not certified may also be sustainably managed. Some choose not to become certified because there is a cost involved in getting certified and there may be little incentive for woodland owners to get their woodlands certified if timber production is not a major objective.
Relevance
Woodland certification assesses management practices against agreed environmental standards. Certification requires that wood products are harvested legally and sustainably, and that important wildlife habitats are identified and are not negatively impacted by management.
International/domestic reporting
The UK Biodiversity Indicators have been reviewed in response to the latest goals and targets agreed under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The indicators are being adapted, with some new indicators being developed, to better align them with the monitoring framework for the GBF. The suite of biodiversity indicators is therefore expected to change ready for forthcoming UK national reports to CBD in 2026 and 2029.
The intention is for this indicator to be modified to better align it with the requirements of the GBF monitoring framework, specifically to align with headline indicator 10.2 Progress towards sustainable forest management, relevant to Target 10.
Web links for further information
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the many people who have contributed by providing data and to the many colleagues who have helped produce this indicator.
Development plan
Since our previous publication we have adapted the language and visualisations used in this indicator. We are keen to hear from our users about these changes, as well as our published development plan, please email us.
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