Ancient Woodland facts

• Ancient woodland is land that has been continuously wooded since at least 1600AD
  
  
• Ancient woodland is the last remaining link with the original wooded landscape, which covered the UK after the last Ice Age
  
  
• Ancient woodland now accounts for only around 2 per cent of the UK’s land use
  
  
• Our version of the ‘rainforest’, ancient woodland is home to more threatened species than any other UK habitat and is irreplaceable
  
  
• Nearly 50 per cent of the ancient woodland that still remained in the 1930s, has since been either lost to agriculture and development, or damaged, mainly by conifer plantation
  
  
• Of the remaining ancient woodland in the UK, 85 per cent has no legal designation
  
  
• Ancient woodland is fragmented; eight out of 10 woods are less than 20 hectares (50 acres) in size and nearly 50 per cent of ancient woods are less than five hectares.

Ancient Woodland facts - Northern Ireland

• Ancient woodland in Northern Ireland is defined as land continuously wooded since at least 1600.  Our ancient woods form a mere 0.08 per cent of the landscape
  
  
• Long-established woods are those which have been continuously present since the first Ordnance Survey maps were produced in 1830-44, but which cannot be proven ancient.  These woods are also significant in a country where truly ancient woodland is so rare
  
  
• 13 per cent of ancient and long-established woodland that survived to the 1960s has since been lost.  In total, 273 ancient and long-established woods have been cleared since that time
  
  
• Only 9,964 hectares of ancient and long-established woodland remain
  
  
• Of the ancient and long-established woodland areas that still remain, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) are under 2 hectares in size
  
  
• To find out more visit www.backonthemap.org.uk

Ancient Woodland facts - Scotland

• Ancient woodland is that which is recorded on the inventory of ancient and long established and semi-natural woodland held by Scottish Natural Heritage and has been established for many hundreds of years.
  
  
• There are five categories of Ancient Woodland
• Ancient woodland on all post 1750 maps and semi-natural on 1750 maps
• Long established woodland of plantation origin on 1750 maps
• Long established woodland of semi-natural origin on 1750 maps
• Long established of plantation origin on 1860 maps
• Woods on 1750 maps and now but un-wooded on 1860 maps

Roy maps were made for military purposes and therefore many woods of no military interest were omitted from the maps. It assumes that any woods shown as semi-natural on 1869 would have been present in 1750 and therefore are ancient semi-natural.

• Ancient woodland covers just 4% of Scotland’s land area
  
  
• Ancient woodland is irreplaceable and is our richest, most important sites for a vast range of insects, birds, animals and trees and are home to more threatened species
  
  
• Ancient woodland has no formal status in the planning process, only 25% are protected by SSSI status
  
  
• Examples of ancient woods are the Caledonian Pine Forest, Atlantic oakwoods and hazel woods of Argyll and wiloow and alder along river banks

Ancient Woodland facts - Wales

• Ancient woodland in Wales is defined as land continuously wooded since at least 1600
  
  
• About half the ancient broadleaved woodland in Wales that survived until the 1930s has now been lost
  
  
• Our ancient woodland covers only about 2 per cent of the land area of Wales
  
  
• In 2004 Wales became the first of the nations of the UK to introduce firm protection for ancient woodland within planning policy. Paragraph 5.2.8 of Planning Policy Wales states clearly that: “Ancient and semi-natural woodlands are irreplaceable habitats of high biodiversity value which should be protected from development that would result in significant damage.”
  
  
• Despite this policy, however, the Woodland Trust is aware of a number of ancient woodlands across Wales under threat of destruction or damage
  
  
• The Woodland Trust in Wales is campaigning to protect ancient woodland, succeeding in overcoming threats to Pencoedtre Wood and Cwm Slade Wood, in the Vale of Glamorgan, in 2008
  
  
• However, threats continue to surface. If you know of an ancient woodland under threat in Wales, please let us know!