What the Scottish election results mean for woods, trees and nature

Over the last year, the Woodland Trust Scotland policy and advocacy team has met with every major party standing for election to the Scottish Parliament to identify shared priorities and offer evidence-led policy suggestions, set out in our Mair Trees Please manifesto. When party manifestos were published this spring, we were pleased to see many of the things we asked for reflected across the political spectrum. 

While the SNP was the clear winner on 7 May, second to sixth place were relatively close in terms of seats won:

• Scottish National Party (SNP) – 58
• Scottish Labour – 17
• Reform UK Scotland – 17
• Scottish Greens – 15
• Scottish Conservatives – 12
• Scottish Liberal Democrats – 10

This leaves the SNP with a choice: form a coalition with another party, as it did with the Scottish Greens between 2021 and 2024, or govern alone as a minority and seek support issue by issue. The latter currently appears more likely.

The SNP’s manifesto was fairly strong on woods, trees and nature. It maintained commitments to 18,000ha of woodland creation annually by 2045, improving deer management and biosecurity, completing the long-awaited National Register of Ancient Woodland and increasing urban tree canopy cover. It also committed to supporting farmers and crofters to deliver for nature through the new rural support system. Fundamentally, the SNP recognises the need to tackle both the climate and nature crises, although its manifesto was constrained by the fiscal realities of incumbency and the likelihood of victory in ways smaller parties were not.

Minority government requires compromise, and the SNP will need support from other parties to pass budgets and legislation.

The Scottish Greens secured 15 seats and arguably remain the party with the strongest environmental platform. Their manifesto included dedicated funding for rainforest and ancient woodland restoration, 9,000ha of new native woodland each year, stronger deer management and increased support for NatureScot and Scottish Forestry. Many of these commitments align closely with the Trust's priorities.

Scottish Labour, despite a disappointing election result, remains an important parliamentary force with 17 seats. Their manifesto included support for native woodland expansion, nature-friendly farming and deer management, but it came up lacking and its focus was on other policy areas. Nonetheless, Labour MSPs are likely to play a significant role in committee scrutiny and budget negotiations.

Reform UK Scotland’s arrival as a bloc of 17 MSPs changes the political landscape considerably. While the party’s manifesto contained some support for native woodland expansion and trees on farms, its wider well-documented hostility towards what it calls “ideological green nonsense” sets a discouraging tone and marks a significant departure from the broad parliamentary consensus on climate action that has existed in Scotland for much of the last two decades. The SNP has ruled out working with Reform, but the party will still be able to shape debate through committees and parliamentary scrutiny.

The Scottish Conservatives return to Holyrood with a much smaller parliamentary group of 12. Their manifesto included support for deer management, riparian woodland expansion and the forestry sector, but contained relatively little on wider nature restoration or climate action. Similarly to the other smaller parties, the Tories will be able to use the parliamentary system to exert influence on policy if they choose to do so.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats also produced a notably strong manifesto on trees and nature. Commitments included rainforest restoration, increasing urban tree cover, connecting fragmented woodland habitats, support for sustainable farming and a ban on the sale of invasive Rhododendron ponticum – another welcome inclusion following the Trust's lobbying. With 10 seats, the Lib Dems may again find themselves in a position to influence budgets and legislation in exchange for policy concessions.

So, what happens now?

Attention will quickly turn to the Programme for Government and the Scottish Budget. These are the moments where manifesto promises either translate into funded action or fall away. The Trust will be pressing ministers and all parties to deliver on restoring ancient woodland, increasing native woodland creation, tackling damaging deer impacts, improving biosecurity, and supporting farmers and crofters to deliver for nature.

Parliamentary committees will also matter enormously in a minority parliament. Much of the detailed scrutiny of legislation and public spending happens away from the chamber itself, and committee memberships will shape how issues like land reform, planning, biodiversity and forestry are debated over the next five years.

Fiscal pressure remains the central political challenge. Nearly every party acknowledged the climate and nature crises in some form, but meaningful action requires sustained investment at a time when public finances are under strain. The risk is not necessarily that nature disappears from political debate, but that it slips down the priority list when difficult budget choices are made.

One encouraging feature of this election was the extent to which our asks through the Mair Trees Please campaign appeared across multiple manifestos and party lines. During the campaign, our supporters contacted candidates more than 10,000 times to demand action for woods and trees.

The challenge for the next Parliament is moving from consensus to delivery. We have numerous strategies, frameworks, targets and plans – what we really need from politicians now is to just get on with it. Scotland remains one of the least-wooded countries in Europe, our ancient woodlands remain under pressure, and the climate and nature crises continue to accelerate. The Trust will continue working constructively with all parties to ensure trees, woods and nature receive the attention and support they deserve.