Create a woodland management plan
Find out what's involved in creating a plan, giving you a structured way to organise the management of woodland.
Applies to England
A woodland management plan gives land managers a structured way to plan and organise the sustainable management of woodland to a common industry standard.
If you’re intending to write a woodland management plan with grant funding, you need to have your grant agreement in place before you start work on your plan.
The UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) sets out the UK government’s approach to sustainable forestry and woodland management, including standards and requirements, regulations and monitoring, and reporting. It applies to all woodland and woodland operations, regardless of who owns or manages it.
Why create a management plan?
- Creating a woodland management plan can demonstrate sustainable forest management and it supports the planning and implementation of work proposals and their long term monitoring.
- Some grant schemes ask land managers to have an approved management plan in place before making an application.
- The plan of operations, which makes up part of the management plan, allows land managers to plan for and be issued with a felling licence for up to 10 years.
If you want to create a woodland plan, you should include all woodland on your property.
How to produce your plan
For woodland up to 3 hectares use the small woodland plan template:
For woodland between 3 and 10 hectares, use either the small woodland plan template or the full woodland management plan template.
A grant is available to help fund the production of a woodland management plan for woodland over 3 hectares. Read more about the Countryside Stewardship option PA3.
If you wish to apply for the grant, you must use the full woodland management plan template:
If you do not intend to apply for the grant, use the small woodland plan template for woodlands up to 10 hectares. This still enables you to apply for a felling licence.
For woodland over 10 hectares, use the full woodland management plan template.
Non-Forestry Commission woodland plan templates
For non-Forestry Commission woodland plan templates that don’t match our woodland plan template, use this . It explains the UKFS criteria being assessed and provides a consistent framework for us to review the plan.
Non-Forestry Commission woodland plan templates are not eligible for funding to prepare a woodland management plan through Countryside Stewardship.
Complete the inventory and plan of operations worksheet
For all woodland plan template types, complete the inventory and plan of operations worksheet. It sets out your woodland inventory and must relate directly to compartments and sub-compartments shown on your maps. The plan of operations also gathers information relating to felling and restocking and is necessary for issuing a felling licence.
There are 2 versions of this worksheet:
- : this highlights where data entry errors exist on the worksheets so you can make corrections
- : this lets you enter data more freely, it has no error checking so we may have to return it to you for corrections
You must use version 4 (V4) of the worksheet, older versions could be rejected.
Produce a map
Maps help to communicate information to support your management plan. Use several maps to show a variety of topics or themes affecting your woodland. You must ensure that each compartment you show on the map is reflected in the inventory of the plan of operations.
You can create a map by:
- submitting a map request
- using myForest service
- using your own Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Ensure you have the right to use any map submitted to us for commercial purposes. You can request a map from using our map request service.
Read our guide
Read our guidance on . This will help you complete a woodland management plan successfully using:
- our plan template
- the inventory and plan of operations worksheet
- your associated maps
Read this guidance thoroughly and refer to it regularly.
Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier
If you are drafting your plan for a Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier application, please refer to this . It tells you what should be included to ensure you’re covering all relevant information in your plan. Your woodland management plan must support and validate your CS Higher Tier application.
Submit your draft woodland management plan
Submit your draft woodland management plan to the Operational Delivery Team Hub covering your area. Make sure you include:
- a completed woodland management plan template
- an inventory and plan of operations worksheet (version 4)
- your map(s)
- the GIS shapefile data of your map, if possible
- a if you’re receiving funding from the Countryside Stewardship scheme
Submit your shapefile data
If you have created shapefiles for your maps in GIS software, it would be helpful to share that data with us.
Shapefiles are not mandatory, but they can help speed up processing and could lead to your management plan being approved faster.
Send your shapefile data to the Operational Delivery Team Hub with your application.
Follow instructions in your GIS software to export the shapefile(s) from your map into a .zip file. Email us the .zip file with your application documents.
If you can not provide shapefile data, your application can still be progressed, but it may take slightly longer to process.
By sending us your shapefiles, you agree we can use the data for any purpose necessary for the processing and approving of your management plan.
As a public authority we are subject to Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations. We may be required to disclose any information we hold in compliance with the open information legislation.
Check if your woodland is designated or has special features
Designated areas or features should be indicated on one of the annotated maps within your plan. If a designation applies, please provide details.
Magic map
Use Natural England’s ‘MAGIC’ map to check if your woodland is designated, for example, as an SSSI. You can also search for other features (such as scheduled monuments, priority habitats and species) and information such as Countryside Stewardship scheme details in your area.
The Land Information Search
The Forestry Commission’s Land Information Search (LIS) is another map-based tool that allows you to search for information about land designations or features that might already apply to your woodland. Examples of these features include:
- previous felling schemes
- grant schemes
Learn how to identify common constraints and designations within your management plan area, and how to rectify them, read:
Find out how the Forestry Commission supports you if you do own woodland on an SSSI.
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) are protected by law to conserve their wildlife or geology so you must declare designations, as some require consent before you begin work on your proposed plans. If you fail to disclose any designations or features you may be acting illegally.
Example woodland management plans
See examples of completed woodland management plans:
Authorise an agent to act on your behalf
If you choose to appoint an agent to develop your woodland management plan you must sign a form to give an agent authority to act for you when dealing with the Forestry Commission. You can submit this agent authority form as part of your application for funding.
You’ll also need to set agent permission levels using the Rural Payments service to appoint an agent to act on your behalf if you’re applying for Countryside Stewardship funding.
Contact us
Your local Woodland Officer can give you advice on completing a woodland plan. They can also arrange a pre-draft site visit, if required.
Your nearest Operational Delivery Team Hub can offer guidance on processes and timings and your application.
Updates to this page
Last updated 3 October 2024 + show all updates
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Added new section on submitting shapefile data. Added new versions of the full woodland management plan template and the inventory and plan of operations.
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Replaced examples with new versions.
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Added alternative formats for 2 forms: 'small woodland plan template' and 'full woodland management plan template'.
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Document updated: 'Checking aid for your Woodland Management Plan when Applying for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier'.
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New paragraph added and the attachment 'WMP checking aid to support an application for CS Higher Tier'.
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First published.