Policy paper

When to convert woods and forests to open habitat in England

Policy on increasing open habitats so we have more diverse landscapes, making species better able to accommodate flexibly to a shifting climate.

• From: Forestry Commission
• Published: 26 March 2010
• Last updated: 26 September 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

Documents

When to convert woods and forests to open habitat in England: government policy (March 2010)

PDF, 341 KB, 39 pages

When to convert woods and forests to open habitat: decision framework (operations note 68)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/when-to-convert-woods-and-forests-to-open-habitat-operations-note-68/when-to-convert-woods-and-forests-to-open-habitat-operations-note-68

Details

The policy document ‘when to convert woods and forests to open habitat in England’ (March 2010) explains the background, aims, objectives and outcomes.

Operations note 68 describes the current decision making framework used by the Forestry Commission and Natural England when considering applications to convert woodland to open habitat.

Operations note 68 explains:

• which habitats may be restored
• when compensatory tree planting is required
• where compensatory planting is not normally required (for sites of exceptional biodiversity value)
• how to apply the requirement for compensatory tree planting for different sites
• what supporting information is required for an application to convert woodland

Published 26 March 2010
Last updated 26 September 2024 + show all updates

1. 26 September 2024

   The policy document 'when to convert woods and forests to open habitat in England' was updated to fix out of date links and contact details. The policy itself has not changed.

2. 13 September 2024

   Added a link to 'When to convert woods and forests to open habitat: operations note 68'.

3. 26 March 2010

   First published.