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D3: Area of woodland in England

Short Description

This indicator shows change in the area of broadleaved and conifer woodland in England. Woodland, as defined for the National Forest Inventory (NFI), is land under stands of trees with a minimum area of 0.5 hectares, a width of at least 20 metres, and a canopy cover of at least 20% or having the potential to achieve this. The definition relates to land use, rather than land cover, so integral open space and areas of felled trees that are awaiting restocking (replanting) are included as woodland. Woodland is a key natural capital asset that provides many natural capital benefits, such as the provision of timber and other wood products, carbon storage, habitats for wildlife, and opportunities for exercise and recreation.

Readiness and links to data

Data on the area of woodland are published annually in Forest Research’s Forestry Statistics along with information on the data sources and methodology. Additional commentary on recent trends and new planting of woodland and trees in England is provided in the Forestry Commission’s Key Performance Indicators.

Indicator components

Figure D3: Area of woodland in England, 1998 to 2023

Source
Forest Research,Forestry Commission, Woodland area by forest type and ownership, England
Unit of Measurement
Million hectares
Footnotes

Annual datapoints reflect the area of conifer and broadleaf woodland in England at 31 March each year.


Due to rounding, areas of conifer and broadleaf woodland shown here may not sum exactly to the total area of woodland in England shown in this indicator and in the source publication (Forest Research’s Forestry Statistics).


The time series for this indicator was shortened during the 2024 update of the Outcome Indicator Framework to align with the source publication; as a result, it now begins in 1998 rather than 1990.


Data presented here for 2012 and 2019 include cumulative updates based on analysis of remote sensing data.


Data for 2021 and 2022 were revised in the 2024 update of this indicator. The total area of woodland reported for both years remains the same as the totals reported in the 2023 update of D3, however, the totals for conifer woodland have reduced and the totals for broadleaf woodland have increased in the 2024 update.


There is a general assumption that woodlands that have been clearfelled will be restocked. These areas are classified as ‘woodlands in transition’ until there is evidence (through fieldwork, satellite imagery or aerial photography) that the areas have been replanted or have regenerated. As natural regeneration can take some time to establish, some areas can remain as woodlands in transition for more than 10 years and there can be considerable time lags between the felling of woodland to create open habitats and the designation of that area as non-woodland. It is likely this leads to some overestimation of the area of conifer woodland.


The area of woodland statistics are based on annual updates to both the NFI woodland map based on remote sensing and also administrative data on new planting of woodland. The split between conifer and broadleaf in the woodland map data is based on more accurate assessments of stocked areas from fieldwork data.


An update to March 2022 is now available (1.33 million hectares) based on an updated NFI map that is currently available for England only. This revised estimate of woodland area differs slightly from the figures reported for woodland area in England in 2022 in this indicator and in the source publication. The figure for England, Scotland and Wales in Tables 1.1 to 1.3 of Forestry Statistics 2023 are based on the latest NFI woodland map that is complete for the whole of Great Britain, with estimated new planting to 2021/2022 added to give estimates of woodland area at March 2022 that are consistent across Great Britain. The woodland figure provided in this paragraph is derived from a more recent NFI woodland map for England, providing estimates at March 2022 and including some revisions for earlier planting that had been omitted from earlier maps.

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Table D3: Area of woodland in England, 1998 to 2023

Year Broadleaves Conifers Total
1998 0.89 0.35 1.24
1999 0.89 0.35 1.25
2000 0.90 0.35 1.25
2001 0.90 0.35 1.26
2002 0.91 0.35 1.26
2003 0.91 0.35 1.27
2004 0.92 0.35 1.27
2005 0.92 0.35 1.28
2006 0.93 0.36 1.28
2007 0.93 0.36 1.28
2008 0.93 0.35 1.28
2009 0.93 0.35 1.29
2010 0.93 0.35 1.29
2011 0.94 0.35 1.29
2012 0.96 0.34 1.30
2013 0.96 0.34 1.30
2014 0.96 0.34 1.30
2015 0.97 0.34 1.30
2016 0.97 0.34 1.30
2017 0.97 0.34 1.31
2018 0.97 0.34 1.31
2019 0.97 0.34 1.32
2020 0.98 0.34 1.32
2021 1.02 0.30 1.32
2022 1.02 0.30 1.32
2023 1.02 0.30 1.33
Source
Forest Research,Forestry Commission, Woodland area by forest type and ownership, England
Unit of Measurement
Million hectares
Footnotes

Annual datapoints reflect the area of conifer and broadleaf woodland in England at 31 March each year.


Due to rounding, areas of conifer and broadleaf woodland shown here may not sum exactly to the total area of woodland in England shown in this indicator and in the source publication (Forest Research’s Forestry Statistics).


The time series for this indicator was shortened during the 2024 update of the Outcome Indicator Framework to align with the source publication; as a result, it now begins in 1998 rather than 1990.


Data presented here for 2012 and 2019 include cumulative updates based on analysis of remote sensing data.


Data for 2021 and 2022 were revised in the 2024 update of this indicator. The total area of woodland reported for both years remains the same as the totals reported in the 2023 update of D3, however, the totals for conifer woodland have reduced and the totals for broadleaf woodland have increased in the 2024 update.


There is a general assumption that woodlands that have been clearfelled will be restocked. These areas are classified as ‘woodlands in transition’ until there is evidence (through fieldwork, satellite imagery or aerial photography) that the areas have been replanted or have regenerated. As natural regeneration can take some time to establish, some areas can remain as woodlands in transition for more than 10 years and there can be considerable time lags between the felling of woodland to create open habitats and the designation of that area as non-woodland. It is likely this leads to some overestimation of the area of conifer woodland.


The area of woodland statistics are based on annual updates to both the NFI woodland map based on remote sensing and also administrative data on new planting of woodland. The split between conifer and broadleaf in the woodland map data is based on more accurate assessments of stocked areas from fieldwork data.


An update to March 2022 is now available (1.33 million hectares) based on an updated NFI map that is currently available for England only. This revised estimate of woodland area differs slightly from the figures reported for woodland area in England in 2022 in this indicator and in the source publication. The figure for England, Scotland and Wales in Tables 1.1 to 1.3 of Forestry Statistics 2023 are based on the latest NFI woodland map that is complete for the whole of Great Britain, with estimated new planting to 2021/2022 added to give estimates of woodland area at March 2022 that are consistent across Great Britain. The woodland figure provided in this paragraph is derived from a more recent NFI woodland map for England, providing estimates at March 2022 and including some revisions for earlier planting that had been omitted from earlier maps.

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Trend description for D3

The total area of woodland in England has increased from 1.24 million hectares in 1998 to 1.33 million hectares in 2023, equating to an increase from 9.5% to 10.2% of the land area of England. This growth has been driven by an increase in broadleaf woodland. The area of conifer woodland in England has remained relatively static over the last 26 years based on the area of new planting.

Assessment of change

The observed increases in the area of woodland in England over the short and medium term are assessed as ‘little or no change’. This is because it would take a large area of additional woodland cover to reach the 3% increase needed for the ‘improvement’ category to be assigned. There has, however, been an increase (improvement) over the long term. This assessment does not consider whether any improvement is on a sufficient scale for meeting targets.

Change since 2018 has also been assessed. There has been ‘little or no change’ in woodland cover since 2018.

Further information on this assessment, along with details on the methodology, is provided in the Assessment background page. Summaries by 25 Year Environment Plan goal and information on indicator links are presented in the Assessment results pages.

Table D3: Assessment of change

Component Subcomponent Period Date range Percentage change Smoothing function Assessment of change
D3 Total woodland Short term 2018 to 2023 1.45 Unsmoothed Little or no change
D3 Total woodland Medium term 2013 to 2023 2.16 Unsmoothed Little or no change
D3 Total woodland Long term 1998 to 2023 6.85 Unsmoothed Improvement

Note that percentage change in Table D3 refers to the difference seen from the first to last year in the specified date range.

Indicator Metadata

Headline indicator status
Not applicable
Primary goal in the 25 Year Environment Plan
Thriving plants and wildlife
Enhancing beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment
Relevant goal(s) in the 25 Year Environment Plan
Thriving plants and wildlife
Enhancing beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment
Using resources from nature more sustainably and efficiently
Relevant target(s) in the 25 Year Environment Plan
Creating or restoring 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside the protected site network, focusing on priority habitats as part of a wider set of land management changes providing extensive benefits
Increasing woodland in England in line with our aspiration of 12% cover by 2060: this would involve planting 180,000 hectares by end of 2042
Position in the natural capital framework
Condition of assets - land
Condition of assets - species and ecological communities
Related reporting commitments
Equivalent data at UK level are reported to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation for its regular Forest Resources Assessment, and to Forest Europe for publication in the State of Europe’s Forests
Geographical Scope
England
Status of indicator development
Final
First Reported
2019
Last Updated
2024
Latest Data
2023
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