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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 Englands 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.

1. A landscape context plan and accompanying illustrations that identifies, describes and analyses the key landscape and visual characteristics of the wider landscape context.
2. 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.
3. 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 sites 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 Englands 159 National Character Area profiles

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