A new tool to help restore Scotland’s Ancient Woodlands

We’ve launched a new tool to identify Scotland’s ‘ghost woodlands’ — ancient woodlands that have lost over 80% of their tree cover and are at risk of disappearing. Developed using data from aerial survey company Bluesky International, the tool highlights around 10,000 hectares of degraded woodland, primarily in the north and west Highlands.

A decade ago, the Native Woodland Survey for Scotland (NWSS) found that an estimated 18,000 hectares of ancient woodland in the uplands could have been lost to open ground habitats, such as moorland, over the preceding 40 years. Ten years later, this tool maps areas most at risk.

The interactive tool was developed using Bluesky’s National Tree Map™ to identify ghost woodlands by analysing canopy cover of woodlands mapped on the Ancient Woodland Inventory. We hope it will help landowners and policymakers pinpoint areas in urgent need of restoration to protect Scotland’s wildlife.

Explore the tool and find resources to support woodland restoration on our website.

How to use the tool

The map provides a detailed view of ancient woodlands at risk of being lost forever.

• Search: The tool is searchable using longitude and latitude coordinates. If you have British National Grid References, you’ll need to convert them using tools like Grid Reference Finder.
• Additional data: Shapefiles and details of the methodology used to create the map are available upon request.

If you own or manage a woodland shown on the map and would like support to restore it, please contact us at: [email protected].