Scotland’s Forestry Strategy 2019 - 29 Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report September 2018 Report prepared by: Table of Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 13 1.1 Purpose of this Environmental Report ...................................................... 13 1.2 SEA activities to date ................................................................................ 13 2 The Forestry Strategy 2019-29 context and overview ............................... 15 2.1 Main policy principles / common themes................................................... 15 2.2 Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act (2018) ............................ 16 2.3 Outline and objectives of the Forestry Strategy 2019-29 .......................... 16 2.4 Sustainable Forest Management .............................................................. 18 2.5 The UK Forestry Standard – the benchmark for sustainable practice ....... 18 2.6 The Wider Regulatory Framework ............................................................ 19 2.7 Relationship with other relevant plans, programmes and strategies (PPS) ........................................................................................................ 21 3 Environmental baseline ............................................................................. 23 3.2 Environmental issues relevant to the strategy ........................................... 27 3.3 Likely evolution of the environment without implementation of the strategy ..................................................................................................... 35 4 SEA Methodology ..................................................................................... 36 4.1 Framework for assessing environmental effects ....................................... 36 4.2 Development of Assessment Criteria ........................................................ 38 5 Consideration of Reasonable Alternatives ................................................ 42 6 Assessment findings and recommendations ............................................. 44 6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 44 6.2 Technical Issues Encountered .................................................................. 44 6.3 Assessment of potential environmental effects ......................................... 45 6.4 Cumulative Assessment ............................................................................ 60 6.5 Effects of the Forestry Strategy in combination with other Policies, Plans and Strategies ................................................................................. 63 6.6 The influence that the SEA has had on the Forestry Strategy .................. 63 7 Proposed mitigation/enhancement measures ........................................... 65 8 Monitoring ................................................................................................. 67 9 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 69 10 Consultation .............................................................................................. 70 Forestry Strategy 2019-29 2 Environmental Report Tables Table 1: Key Facts in relation to the Forestry Strategy .................................................. 14 Table 2: Assumed mitigation measures under each priority .......................................... 19 Table 3: The current environmental opportunities/issues related to Forestry ................ 29 Table 4: Scoping of environmental topics for the Forestry Strategy SEA ...................... 37 Table 5: Framework used to assess the Forestry Strategy ........................................... 39 Table 6: SEA Objectives and Indicators ........................................................................ 40 Table 7: Assessment scoring ........................................................................................ 45 Table 8: Cumulative effects of the Forestry Strategy Priorities ...................................... 62 Table 9: Proposed mitigation measures ........................................................................ 65 Table 10: Proposed indicators ....................................................................................... 67 Figures Figure 1: Policy and regulatory framework for promoting Sustainable Forest Management ............................................................................................. 22 Appendices Appendix A: Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 – sections on forestry strategy ........................................................................................ 72 Appendix B: Relationship with other relevant plans or legislation ................................. 74 Appendix C: Baseline Information of relevance to the Forestry Strategy ...................... 79 Appendix D: Figures in support of the environmental baseline ..................................... 91 Appendix E: Respondent information form and consultation questionnaire ................ 105 Forestry Strategy 2019-29 3 Environmental Report List of Abbreviations AQMA Air Quality Management Area CA Consultation Authority/ies CAP Common Agricultural Policy CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CCC Committee on Climate Change CO2 Carbon Dioxide EC European Commission EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EU European Union EU ETS European Union Emissions Trading Scheme FSC Forest Stewardship Council GDL Gardens and Designed Landscapes HES Historic Environment Scotland LRRS The Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement LUS The Land Use Strategy MtCO2e Metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent NPF3 National Planning Framework 3 PEFC Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification PM10 Particulate matter of diameter less than or equal to 10 micrometres PPS Plans, programmes, and strategies RBMP River Basin Management Plan RPP Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting our Emissions Reduction Targets 2010 – 2022: Report on Proposals and Policies RPP2 Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting our Emissions Reduction Targets 2013 – 2027: The Second Report on Proposals and Policies SAC Special Area(s) of Conservation SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment SEPA Scottish Environment Protection Agency SFM Sustainable Forest Management SFS Scottish Forestry Strategy SG Scottish Government SNH Scottish Natural Heritage SPA Special Protection Area(s) SPP Scottish Planning Policy SRDP Scottish Rural Development Programme SSSI Site(s) of Special Scientific Interest The 2005 Act The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 UK United Kingdom UKWAS UK Woodland Assurance Scheme UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Forestry Strategy 2019-29 4 Environmental Report Non-Technical Summary Background and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) This non-technical summary of the Environmental Report sets out the findings of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the draft Forestry Strategy 2019-29. The development of proposals for the Forestry Strategy is considered to fall under Section 5(3) of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 (‘the 2005 Act’). The 2005 Act requires that public plans, programmes, and strategies (PPS) are assessed for their potential effects on the environment. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) enables environmental considerations to be built into the Forestry Strategy, so that potentially significant environmental impacts are identified at an early stage. It also gives members of the public and other interested organisations an opportunity to comment on the draft Strategy and its environmental effects. The SEA also considers how identified adverse impacts can be avoided or minimised (‘mitigation’). A monitoring plan is also developed to identify any unexpected adverse environmental effects, should these arise. The conclusions from each stage of the assessment are summarised in the sections below. Comments from the Consultation Authorities (SNH, SEPA and Historic Environment Scotland) have been taken into account, in terms of how the assessment has been undertaken, what it covers, and the level of detail required in this Environmental Report. Forestry Strategy The draft Strategy has been prepared in line with the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018. The Act requires Scottish Ministers to prepare a new Forestry Strategy. The 50-year vision which underpins the Forestry Strategy is: Scotland will have more forests and woodlands, which will be sustainably managed as a much greater part of the nation’s natural capital, providing a resilient, high quality and growing resource that supports a strong economy, a thriving environment, and healthy and empowered communities. To support the vision, the draft Forestry Strategy identifies three primary objectives to deliver over the next 10 years: • Increase the contribution of forests and woodlands to Scotland’s sustainable and inclusive economic growth; • Protect and enhance Scotland’s valuable natural assets, ensuring that our forests and woodlands are resilient and contribute to a healthy and high quality environment; • Use Scotland’s forest and woodland resources to empower more people to improve their health, well- being and life chances. The Strategy also identifies the main priorities likely to have the greatest impact on achieving the draft objectives over the next
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