A more sophisticated classification was developed for woodlands in Scotland due to the nature of the available historical sources. IMPORTANT. For Scottish woods, the category Ancient comprises woods recorded as being of semi-natural origin on EITHER the 1750 Roy maps OR the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey maps of 1860. This is due a) to the likelihood of the latter having been omitted from the Roy maps and b) to render the Scottish classification compatible with that for England and Wales.More information at the NatureScot websiteComplete metadata

In response to a 1980 select committee which recommended that ancient woods should be recognised and treated as a separate category, the NCCs compiled the Inventories of Ancient, Long-established and Semi-natural woodlands.

This dataset references directly NatureScot's Open Data Hub, the data is not hosted in Stirling's platform and, therefore, will be updated as soon as NatureScot releases any updates.Symbology for the layers published as per NatureScot.https://opendata.nature.scot/A more sophisticated classification was developed for woodlands in Scotland due to the nature of the available historical sources. IMPORTANT. For Scottish woods, the category Ancient comprises woods recorded as being of semi-natural origin on EITHER the 1750 Roy maps OR the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey maps of 1860. This is due a) to the likelihood of the latter having been omitted from the Roy maps and b) to render the Scottish classification compatible with that for England and Wales.

The aim of the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) was to undertake a baseline survey of all native woodlands, nearly native woodlands and PAWS sites in Scotland in order to create a woodland map linked to a dataset showing type, extent and condition of those woods. The objectives were to: 1. Identify the location, type, extent and condition of all native and nearly native woodlands and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS - as identified from the Ancient Woodland Inventory) in Scotland. 2. Produce a baseline survey map of all native woodland, nearly native woodland and PAWS in Scotland. 3. Collect baseline information to enable future monitoring of the extent and condition of the total Scottish native woodland resource. 4. Provide information to support policy development and the delivery of social, environmental and development forestry. The following datasets are available on the Scottish Forestry Open Data website: - Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (base map and polygon level attributes) - NWSS Canopy Structures - NWSS Habitat Components - NWSS Herbivore Impact - NWSS Invasives - NWSS Other Traits - NWSS Species Structures The following describes the layers available from Scottish Forestry and also gives an indication of the nature of the spatial data and the related component non-spatial data. (N.B. Every table contains a SCPTDATA_I field. This is a unique field which is used to link all other component tables). If you wish to carry out complex analysis, particularly involving elements of the components tables, e.g. species selection, you should do so using GIS software. NWSS Map: This is a straightforward view of the data which describes the type of NWSS polygon based on the following categories: Native woodland: >50% native species in the canopy Nearly-native woodland: >=40% and <=50% native species in the canopy Open land habitat: <20% canopy cover, usually 100% surrounded by woodland and adjoining a native woodland PAWS: A woodland area wholly or partially identified in the Ancient Semi-natural Woodland Inventory as ancient semi-natural but currently not semi-natural. NWSS Nativeness: Displays the percentage share of native species in the total canopy. This ranges from 0% to 100% in 5% classes. NWSS Habitat: This view of the data shows the priority woodland type and National Vegetation Classification (NVC) woodland community. Open land habitat is defined by UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) type. A dominant habitat is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have habitats of equal dominance. In this case only one of the habitats is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the habitats in a particular polygon please refer to the FC_S_NWSS_HABITAT_COMPONENTS table or use the map browser identify tool on the NWSS Habitats layer. Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) may not display in the Habitat layer if a surveyor has not recorded a native priority habitat type for the site. This will happen when a site is non-native. NWSS Canopy Cover: Displays as a percentage, an assessment of the area covered by trees/shrubs. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% classes. A minimum of 20% canopy cover is required to define woodland, so the 10% and 20% bands are skewed to allow for this. NWSS Canopy Structures: This displays the number of different structures recorded in a polygon (ranging from 0 to 6). The types of recorded structures are veteran, mature, pole immature, shrub, established regeneration or visible regeneration. A dominant structure is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have structures of equal dominance. In this case only one of the structures is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the structures in a particular polygon please refer to the FC_S_NWSS_CANOPY_STRUCTURES table or use the map browser identify tool on the NWSS Canopy Structures layer. Information on the species identified in each polygon is also in the NWSS Canopy Structures layer and table. * indicates a species which is classed as native for the purpose of the survey. + indicates a species is a shrub not a tree. NWSS Semi-naturalness: This view of the data shows the percentage of the polygon that is semi-natural. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% bands. NWSS Maturity: This indicates the approximate stage of woodland development as either: mature, young, regenerating, mixed or shrub. The value is based on the dominance of the structures recorded; a mixed maturity means that none of the others values are dominant. NWSS Other Traits: This layer records whether or not there are any other attributes which have been recorded in the polygon. The details of any other traits that have been found can be accessed by viewing the related information attached to a polygon. NWSS Herbivore Impact: This view of the data shows the overall impact that herbivores have had on a polygon. NWSS Invasives: This is a separate spatial dataset on the Forestry Commission Spatial Data Repository. It contains a subset of the overall NWSS Map dataset which includes only those polygons were there is some presence of an invasive species. The layer is symbolised on the percentage of invasive species with the polygons, show in 25% bands. The data itself contains more detailed information which is broken down into 5% bands. Summary of Attributes SCPTDATA_I Polygon ID (Unique identifier) PAWS_SURVY Surveyed as PAWS TYPE Type CANOPY_PCT Canopy cover percentage NATIVE_PCT Native species percentage DOM_HABITA Dominant habitat type DOM_HB_PCT Dominant habitat type percentage SEMINT_PCT Semi-natural percentage STRUCT_NUM Number of structures MATURITY Maturity DOM_STRUCT Dominant structure HERBIVORE Herbivore impact ER_NAT_PCT Percentage of establish regeneration of native species INVASV_PCT Invasive species percentage INVASV_NUM Number of invasive species OTHR_TRAIT Other traits recorded HECTARES Area in hectares

This dataset is a non-spatial table that identifies other recorded traits of NWSS.The aim of the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) was to undertake a baseline survey of all native woodlands, nearly native woodlands and PAWS sites in Scotland in order to create a woodland map linked to a dataset showing type, extent and condition of those woods. The objectives were to:Identify the location, type, extent and condition of all native and nearly native woodlands and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS - as identified from the Ancient Woodland Inventory) in Scotland.Produce a baseline survey map of all native woodland, nearly native woodland and PAWS in Scotland.Collect baseline information to enable future monitoring of the extent and condition of the total Scottish native woodland resource.Provide information to support policy development and the delivery of social, environmental and development forestry.The following NWSS datasets are available from Scottish Forestry.Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (base map and polygon level attributes)NWSS Canopy StructureNWSS Habitat ComponentsNWSS Herbivore ImpactNWSS InvasivesNWSS Other TraitsNWSS Species StructuresThe following describes the layers available from Scottish Forestry and also gives an indication of the nature of the spatial data and the related component non-spatial data. (N.B. Every table contains a SCPTDATA_I field. This is a unique field which is used to link all other component tables). If you wish to carry out complex analysis, particularly involving elements of the components tables, e.g. species selection, you should do so using GIS software.NWSS Map:This is a straightforward view of the data which describes the type of NWSS polygon based on the following categories:Native woodland: >50% native species in the canopyNearly-native woodland: >=40% and <=50% native species in the canopyOpen land habitat: <20% canopy cover, usually 100% surrounded by woodland and adjoining a native woodlandPAWS: A woodland area wholly or partially identified in the Ancient Semi-natural Woodland Inventory as ancient semi-natural but currently not semi-natural.NWSS Nativeness:Displays the percentage share of native species in the total canopy. This ranges from 0% to 100% in 5% classes.NWSS Habitat:This view of the data shows the priority woodland type and National Vegetation Classification (NVC) woodland community. Open land habitat is defined by UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) type.A dominant habitat is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have habitats of equal dominance. In this case only one of the habitats is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the habitats in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Habitat Components table.Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) may not display in the Habitat layer if a surveyor has not recorded a native priority habitat type for the site. This will happen when a site is non-native.NWSS Canopy Cover:Displays as a percentage, an assessment of the area covered by trees/shrubs. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% classes. A minimum of 20% canopy cover is required to define woodland, so the 10% and 20% bands are skewed to allow for this.NWSS Canopy Structures:This displays the number of different structures recorded in a polygon (ranging from 0 to 6). The types of recorded structures are veteran, mature, pole immature, shrub, established regeneration or visible regeneration.A dominant structure is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have structures of equal dominance. In this case only one of the structures is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the structures in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Canopy Structures.Information on the species identified in each polygon is also in the NWSS Canopy Structures layer and table.* indicates a species which is classed as native for the purpose of the survey.+ indicates a species is a shrub not a tree.NWSS Semi-naturalness:This view of the data shows the percentage of the polygon that is semi-natural. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% bands.NWSS Maturity:This indicates the approximate stage of woodland development as either: mature, young, regenerating, mixed or shrub. The value is based on the dominance of the structures recorded; a mixed maturity means that none of the others values are dominant.NWSS Other Traits:This layer records whether or not there are any other attributes which have been recorded in the polygon. The details of any other traits that have been found can be accessed by viewing the related information attached to a polygon.NWSS Herbivore Impact:This view of the data shows the overall impact that herbivores have had on a polygon.Summary of AttributesSCPTDATA_I Polygon ID (Unique identifier)PAWS_SURVY Surveyed as PAWSTYPE TypeCANOPY_PCT Canopy cover percentageNATIVE_PCT Native species percentageDOM_HABITA Dominant habitat typeDOM_HB_PCT Dominant habitat type percentageSEMINT_PCT Semi-natural percentageSTRUCT_NUM Number of structuresMATURITY MaturityDOM_STRUCT Dominant structureHERBIVORE Herbivore impactER_NAT_PCT Percentage of establish regeneration of native speciesINVASV_PCT Invasive species percentageINVASV_NUM Number of invasive speciesOTHR_TRAIT Other traits recordedHECTARES Area in hectaresFor more detailed information please see the metadata record on Scotland"s SpatialData.gov.scot Metadata Portal

This dataset is a non-spatial table that identifies the Invasive Species of NWSS.The aim of the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) was to undertake a baseline survey of all native woodlands, nearly native woodlands and PAWS sites in Scotland in order to create a woodland map linked to a dataset showing type, extent and condition of those woods. The objectives were to:Identify the location, type, extent and condition of all native and nearly native woodlands and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS - as identified from the Ancient Woodland Inventory) in Scotland.Produce a baseline survey map of all native woodland, nearly native woodland and PAWS in Scotland.Collect baseline information to enable future monitoring of the extent and condition of the total Scottish native woodland resource.Provide information to support policy development and the delivery of social, environmental and development forestry.The following NWSS datasets are available from Scottish Forestry.Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (base map and polygon level attributes)NWSS Canopy StructureNWSS Habitat ComponentsNWSS Herbivore ImpactNWSS InvasivesNWSS Other TraitsNWSS Species StructuresThe following describes the layers available from Scottish Forestry and also gives an indication of the nature of the spatial data and the related component non-spatial data. (N.B. Every table contains a SCPTDATA_I field. This is a unique field which is used to link all other component tables). If you wish to carry out complex analysis, particularly involving elements of the components tables, e.g. species selection, you should do so using GIS software.NWSS Map:This is a straightforward view of the data which describes the type of NWSS polygon based on the following categories:Native woodland: >50% native species in the canopyNearly-native woodland: >=40% and <=50% native species in the canopyOpen land habitat: <20% canopy cover, usually 100% surrounded by woodland and adjoining a native woodlandPAWS: A woodland area wholly or partially identified in the Ancient Semi-natural Woodland Inventory as ancient semi-natural but currently not semi-natural.NWSS Nativeness:Displays the percentage share of native species in the total canopy. This ranges from 0% to 100% in 5% classes.NWSS Habitat:This view of the data shows the priority woodland type and National Vegetation Classification (NVC) woodland community. Open land habitat is defined by UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) type.A dominant habitat is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have habitats of equal dominance. In this case only one of the habitats is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the habitats in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Habitat Components table.Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) may not display in the Habitat layer if a surveyor has not recorded a native priority habitat type for the site. This will happen when a site is non-native.NWSS Canopy Cover:Displays as a percentage, an assessment of the area covered by trees/shrubs. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% classes. A minimum of 20% canopy cover is required to define woodland, so the 10% and 20% bands are skewed to allow for this.NWSS Canopy Structures:This displays the number of different structures recorded in a polygon (ranging from 0 to 6). The types of recorded structures are veteran, mature, pole immature, shrub, established regeneration or visible regeneration.A dominant structure is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have structures of equal dominance. In this case only one of the structures is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the structures in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Canopy Structures.Information on the species identified in each polygon is also in the NWSS Canopy Structures layer and table.* indicates a species which is classed as native for the purpose of the survey.+ indicates a species is a shrub not a tree.NWSS Semi-naturalness:This view of the data shows the percentage of the polygon that is semi-natural. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% bands.NWSS Maturity:This indicates the approximate stage of woodland development as either: mature, young, regenerating, mixed or shrub. The value is based on the dominance of the structures recorded; a mixed maturity means that none of the others values are dominant.NWSS Other Traits:This layer records whether or not there are any other attributes which have been recorded in the polygon. The details of any other traits that have been found can be accessed by viewing the related information attached to a polygon.NWSS Herbivore Impact:This view of the data shows the overall impact that herbivores have had on a polygon.Summary of AttributesSCPTDATA_I Polygon ID (Unique identifier)PAWS_SURVY Surveyed as PAWSTYPE TypeCANOPY_PCT Canopy cover percentageNATIVE_PCT Native species percentageDOM_HABITA Dominant habitat typeDOM_HB_PCT Dominant habitat type percentageSEMINT_PCT Semi-natural percentageSTRUCT_NUM Number of structuresMATURITY MaturityDOM_STRUCT Dominant structureHERBIVORE Herbivore impactER_NAT_PCT Percentage of establish regeneration of native speciesINVASV_PCT Invasive species percentageINVASV_NUM Number of invasive speciesOTHR_TRAIT Other traits recordedHECTARES Area in hectaresFor more detailed information please see the metadata record on Scotland"s SpatialData.gov.scot Metadata Portal

This dataset is a non-spatial table that identifies the Herbivore Impact of NWSS.The aim of the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) was to undertake a baseline survey of all native woodlands, nearly native woodlands and PAWS sites in Scotland in order to create a woodland map linked to a dataset showing type, extent and condition of those woods. The objectives were to:Identify the location, type, extent and condition of all native and nearly native woodlands and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS - as identified from the Ancient Woodland Inventory) in Scotland.Produce a baseline survey map of all native woodland, nearly native woodland and PAWS in Scotland.Collect baseline information to enable future monitoring of the extent and condition of the total Scottish native woodland resource.Provide information to support policy development and the delivery of social, environmental and development forestry.The following NWSS datasets are available from Scottish Forestry.Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (base map and polygon level attributes)NWSS Canopy StructureNWSS Habitat ComponentsNWSS Herbivore ImpactNWSS InvasivesNWSS Other TraitsNWSS Species StructuresThe following describes the layers available from Scottish Forestry and also gives an indication of the nature of the spatial data and the related component non-spatial data. (N.B. Every table contains a SCPTDATA_I field. This is a unique field which is used to link all other component tables). If you wish to carry out complex analysis, particularly involving elements of the components tables, e.g. species selection, you should do so using GIS software.NWSS Map:This is a straightforward view of the data which describes the type of NWSS polygon based on the following categories:Native woodland: >50% native species in the canopyNearly-native woodland: >=40% and <=50% native species in the canopyOpen land habitat: <20% canopy cover, usually 100% surrounded by woodland and adjoining a native woodlandPAWS: A woodland area wholly or partially identified in the Ancient Semi-natural Woodland Inventory as ancient semi-natural but currently not semi-natural.NWSS Nativeness:Displays the percentage share of native species in the total canopy. This ranges from 0% to 100% in 5% classes.NWSS Habitat:This view of the data shows the priority woodland type and National Vegetation Classification (NVC) woodland community. Open land habitat is defined by UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) type.A dominant habitat is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have habitats of equal dominance. In this case only one of the habitats is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the habitats in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Habitat Components table.Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) may not display in the Habitat layer if a surveyor has not recorded a native priority habitat type for the site. This will happen when a site is non-native.NWSS Canopy Cover:Displays as a percentage, an assessment of the area covered by trees/shrubs. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% classes. A minimum of 20% canopy cover is required to define woodland, so the 10% and 20% bands are skewed to allow for this.NWSS Canopy Structures:This displays the number of different structures recorded in a polygon (ranging from 0 to 6). The types of recorded structures are veteran, mature, pole immature, shrub, established regeneration or visible regeneration.A dominant structure is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have structures of equal dominance. In this case only one of the structures is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the structures in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Canopy Structures.Information on the species identified in each polygon is also in the NWSS Canopy Structures layer and table.* indicates a species which is classed as native for the purpose of the survey.+ indicates a species is a shrub not a tree.NWSS Semi-naturalness:This view of the data shows the percentage of the polygon that is semi-natural. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% bands.NWSS Maturity:This indicates the approximate stage of woodland development as either: mature, young, regenerating, mixed or shrub. The value is based on the dominance of the structures recorded; a mixed maturity means that none of the others values are dominant.NWSS Other Traits:This layer records whether or not there are any other attributes which have been recorded in the polygon. The details of any other traits that have been found can be accessed by viewing the related information attached to a polygon.NWSS Herbivore Impact:This view of the data shows the overall impact that herbivores have had on a polygon.Summary of AttributesSCPTDATA_I Polygon ID (Unique identifier)PAWS_SURVY Surveyed as PAWSTYPE TypeCANOPY_PCT Canopy cover percentageNATIVE_PCT Native species percentageDOM_HABITA Dominant habitat typeDOM_HB_PCT Dominant habitat type percentageSEMINT_PCT Semi-natural percentageSTRUCT_NUM Number of structuresMATURITY MaturityDOM_STRUCT Dominant structureHERBIVORE Herbivore impactER_NAT_PCT Percentage of establish regeneration of native speciesINVASV_PCT Invasive species percentageINVASV_NUM Number of invasive speciesOTHR_TRAIT Other traits recordedHECTARES Area in hectaresFor more detailed information please see the metadata record on Scotland's SpatialData.gov.scot Metadata Portal

This dataset is a non-spatial table that identifies the Canopy Structures of NWSS.The aim of the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) was to undertake a baseline survey of all native woodlands, nearly native woodlands and PAWS sites in Scotland in order to create a woodland map linked to a dataset showing type, extent and condition of those woods. The objectives were to:Identify the location, type, extent and condition of all native and nearly native woodlands and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS - as identified from the Ancient Woodland Inventory) in Scotland.Produce a baseline survey map of all native woodland, nearly native woodland and PAWS in Scotland.Collect baseline information to enable future monitoring of the extent and condition of the total Scottish native woodland resource.Provide information to support policy development and the delivery of social, environmental and development forestry.The following NWSS datasets are available from Scottish Forestry.Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (base map and polygon level attributes)NWSS Canopy StructureNWSS Habitat ComponentsNWSS Herbivore ImpactNWSS InvasivesNWSS Other TraitsNWSS Species StructuresThe following describes the layers available from Scottish Forestry and also gives an indication of the nature of the spatial data and the related component non-spatial data. (N.B. Every table contains a SCPTDATA_I field. This is a unique field which is used to link all other component tables). If you wish to carry out complex analysis, particularly involving elements of the components tables, e.g. species selection, you should do so using GIS software.NWSS Map:This is a straightforward view of the data which describes the type of NWSS polygon based on the following categories:Native woodland: >50% native species in the canopyNearly-native woodland: >=40% and <=50% native species in the canopyOpen land habitat: <20% canopy cover, usually 100% surrounded by woodland and adjoining a native woodlandPAWS: A woodland area wholly or partially identified in the Ancient Semi-natural Woodland Inventory as ancient semi-natural but currently not semi-natural.NWSS Nativeness:Displays the percentage share of native species in the total canopy. This ranges from 0% to 100% in 5% classes.NWSS Habitat:This view of the data shows the priority woodland type and National Vegetation Classification (NVC) woodland community. Open land habitat is defined by UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) type.A dominant habitat is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have habitats of equal dominance. In this case only one of the habitats is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the habitats in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Habitat Components table.Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) may not display in the Habitat layer if a surveyor has not recorded a native priority habitat type for the site. This will happen when a site is non-native.NWSS Canopy Cover:Displays as a percentage, an assessment of the area covered by trees/shrubs. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% classes. A minimum of 20% canopy cover is required to define woodland, so the 10% and 20% bands are skewed to allow for this.NWSS Canopy Structures:This displays the number of different structures recorded in a polygon (ranging from 0 to 6). The types of recorded structures are veteran, mature, pole immature, shrub, established regeneration or visible regeneration.A dominant structure is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have structures of equal dominance. In this case only one of the structures is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the structures in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Canopy Structures.Information on the species identified in each polygon is also in the NWSS Canopy Structures layer and table.* indicates a species which is classed as native for the purpose of the survey.+ indicates a species is a shrub not a tree.NWSS Semi-naturalness:This view of the data shows the percentage of the polygon that is semi-natural. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% bands.NWSS Maturity:This indicates the approximate stage of woodland development as either: mature, young, regenerating, mixed or shrub. The value is based on the dominance of the structures recorded; a mixed maturity means that none of the others values are dominant.NWSS Other Traits:This layer records whether or not there are any other attributes which have been recorded in the polygon. The details of any other traits that have been found can be accessed by viewing the related information attached to a polygon.NWSS Herbivore Impact:This view of the data shows the overall impact that herbivores have had on a polygon.Summary of AttributesSCPTDATA_I Polygon ID (Unique identifier)PAWS_SURVY Surveyed as PAWSTYPE TypeCANOPY_PCT Canopy cover percentageNATIVE_PCT Native species percentageDOM_HABITA Dominant habitat typeDOM_HB_PCT Dominant habitat type percentageSEMINT_PCT Semi-natural percentageSTRUCT_NUM Number of structuresMATURITY MaturityDOM_STRUCT Dominant structureHERBIVORE Herbivore impactER_NAT_PCT Percentage of establish regeneration of native speciesINVASV_PCT Invasive species percentageINVASV_NUM Number of invasive speciesOTHR_TRAIT Other traits recordedHECTARES Area in hectaresFor more detailed information please see the metadata record on Scotland"s SpatialData.gov.scot Metadata Portal

This dataset is a non-spatial table that identifies the Species Structures of NWSS.The aim of the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) was to undertake a baseline survey of all native woodlands, nearly native woodlands and PAWS sites in Scotland in order to create a woodland map linked to a dataset showing type, extent and condition of those woods. The objectives were to:Identify the location, type, extent and condition of all native and nearly native woodlands and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS - as identified from the Ancient Woodland Inventory) in Scotland.Produce a baseline survey map of all native woodland, nearly native woodland and PAWS in Scotland.Collect baseline information to enable future monitoring of the extent and condition of the total Scottish native woodland resource.Provide information to support policy development and the delivery of social, environmental and development forestry.The following NWSS datasets are available from Scottish Forestry.Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (base map and polygon level attributes)NWSS Canopy StructureNWSS Habitat ComponentsNWSS Herbivore ImpactNWSS InvasivesNWSS Other TraitsNWSS Species StructuresThe following describes the layers available from Scottish Forestry and also gives an indication of the nature of the spatial data and the related component non-spatial data. (N.B. Every table contains a SCPTDATA_I field. This is a unique field which is used to link all other component tables). If you wish to carry out complex analysis, particularly involving elements of the components tables, e.g. species selection, you should do so using GIS software.NWSS Map:This is a straightforward view of the data which describes the type of NWSS polygon based on the following categories:Native woodland: >50% native species in the canopyNearly-native woodland: >=40% and <=50% native species in the canopyOpen land habitat: <20% canopy cover, usually 100% surrounded by woodland and adjoining a native woodlandPAWS: A woodland area wholly or partially identified in the Ancient Semi-natural Woodland Inventory as ancient semi-natural but currently not semi-natural.NWSS Nativeness:Displays the percentage share of native species in the total canopy. This ranges from 0% to 100% in 5% classes.NWSS Habitat:This view of the data shows the priority woodland type and National Vegetation Classification (NVC) woodland community. Open land habitat is defined by UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) type.A dominant habitat is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have habitats of equal dominance. In this case only one of the habitats is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the habitats in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Habitat Components table.Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) may not display in the Habitat layer if a surveyor has not recorded a native priority habitat type for the site. This will happen when a site is non-native.NWSS Canopy Cover:Displays as a percentage, an assessment of the area covered by trees/shrubs. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% classes. A minimum of 20% canopy cover is required to define woodland, so the 10% and 20% bands are skewed to allow for this.NWSS Canopy Structures:This displays the number of different structures recorded in a polygon (ranging from 0 to 6). The types of recorded structures are veteran, mature, pole immature, shrub, established regeneration or visible regeneration.A dominant structure is recorded for each polygon, however some polygons have structures of equal dominance. In this case only one of the structures is recorded in the top level spatial data. To identify all of the structures in a particular polygon please refer to the NWSS Canopy Structures.Information on the species identified in each polygon is also in the NWSS Canopy Structures layer and table.* indicates a species which is classed as native for the purpose of the survey.+ indicates a species is a shrub not a tree.NWSS Semi-naturalness:This view of the data shows the percentage of the polygon that is semi-natural. Values range from 0% to 100% in 10% bands.NWSS Maturity:This indicates the approximate stage of woodland development as either: mature, young, regenerating, mixed or shrub. The value is based on the dominance of the structures recorded; a mixed maturity means that none of the others values are dominant.NWSS Other Traits:This layer records whether or not there are any other attributes which have been recorded in the polygon. The details of any other traits that have been found can be accessed by viewing the related information attached to a polygon.NWSS Herbivore Impact:This view of the data shows the overall impact that herbivores have had on a polygon.Summary of AttributesSCPTDATA_I Polygon ID (Unique identifier)PAWS_SURVY Surveyed as PAWSTYPE TypeCANOPY_PCT Canopy cover percentageNATIVE_PCT Native species percentageDOM_HABITA Dominant habitat typeDOM_HB_PCT Dominant habitat type percentageSEMINT_PCT Semi-natural percentageSTRUCT_NUM Number of structuresMATURITY MaturityDOM_STRUCT Dominant structureHERBIVORE Herbivore impactER_NAT_PCT Percentage of establish regeneration of native speciesINVASV_PCT Invasive species percentageINVASV_NUM Number of invasive speciesOTHR_TRAIT Other traits recordedHECTARES Area in hectaresFor more detailed information please see the metadata record on Scotland"s SpatialData.gov.scot Metadata Portal

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) has the largest natural distribution of any conifer in the world, ranging from northern Norway to Spain, and from Scotland across Europe and Asia to Siberia and north-east China. It can grow on a range of soil types, surviving where the rainfall is as low as 200mm, and/or where the temperature drops to -64 degrees C.

In Scotland, pines were an important component of post-glacial natural forests (the so-called Wood of Caledon) which covered an estimated 70% of the country. They were largely confined to the poorest soils, often occurring in association with birch, but they also grew in mixture with other species in natural transitions to oak, ash and elm dominated woodland on the better soils, and to willows and alder on wet areas. Over many centuries vast areas of these ancient forests were cleared, and pinewood regeneration was prevented, either by allowing the land to be grazed or by replanting it with other tree species, usually of non-native origin. Other adverse effects were the browsing of deer and 'muirburning' to improve the grazing or the age structure of heather on adjacent grouse moors.

Pinewoods vary enormously in size, structure and natural species diversity. In Deeside, Strathspey and the Beauly catchment the pine-dominated woodlands are relatively extensive, but in Glen Falloch and Glen Loyne there are only a few old trees scattered over a large area. Other pinewoods occur on steep cliff faces, or in gorge woodlands, such as at Glen Avon, Allt Chaorunn and Attadale, where there may be several age classes present. The wet western pinewoods are more fragmented and isolated than most, and are generally regarded as being in the poorest condition, occasionally merging with oak, alder and other woodland types, indicating that there is scope for re-creating large new mixed native forests in those areas.

There are also biochemical differences between pinewoods; these are indicative of genetic variation. Of the seven Regions of biochemical similarity identified, the North West Biochemical Region, near Kinlochewe, is the most distinct, exhibiting considerable differences between individual pinewoods. It is known from the analysis of pollen records taken from peat bogs that pine has been present in North West Scotland for at least 8500 years, but when combined with the genetic information one may begin to speculate that the pines we see now are the direct descendants of trees which survived the last ice age either in Ireland, or possibly on areas of the continental shelf exposed by the lowered sea levels at that time.

The pinewoods of the South West Biochemical Region, around Fort William, are another distinct group. They show less variation between the fragments, although it is believed that they had a similar history to those in the North West Biochemical Region. The biochemical characteristics of the other pinewoods in Scotland are not so dissimilar, and these pinewoods seem to have more in common with Central Europe pinewoods.

In 1959 Steven and Carlisle published their book 'The Native Pinewoods of Scotland', in which they listed and described most of what they regarded as surviving (ex-Caledonian Forest ) pinewoods. This stimulated an interest in pinewood conservation, and in due course the introduction of a number of incentives to support pinewood management and expansion. More recently the native pinewoods of Scotland have been listed as an endangered habitat in the EC Habitats Directive. They are also the subject of a costed Habitat Action Plan (prepared under the UK Biodiversity Plan) which gives quantitative targets for the protection, restoration and expansion of the pinewoods by both natural regeneration and replanting. These targets are based on an earlier version of this Inventory.

To prepare the Caledonian Pinewood Inventory, the current extent of the native pinewoods named by Steven and Carlisle, have been investigated. Some of the pinewood fragments which they thought were too small to form discreet pinewood habitats, have also been considered. The total pinewood area now included in the Inventory is nearly 18000 hectares, and comprises 84 separate pinewoods of various sizes. In all cases the balance of probability suggests that they are genuinely native, that is, descended from one generation to another by natural seeding.

In addition, each pinewood has:

a minimum density of 4 pine trees per hectare, excluding trees less than 2 metres in height, or at least 50 pine trees per hectare where sites have been extensively underplanted but are deemed capable of restoration to a more natural state;a minimum of 30 individual trees, unless the wood has historical, aethetic or biological significance;vegetation which is characteristic of native pinewood, although possibly of a depleted diversity;a semi-natural soil profile, but accepting also sites with superficial cultivation such as shallow ploughing or scarification with some widely spaced drains.

INVENTORY RULES

Pinewood Fragment

Recorded separately if more than 1.5km from another fragment.

Regeneration Zone

Standard 100m but more if conditions indicate spread is likely to be greater (e.g. Glen Tanar). Where regeneration is likely to be less, such as a fragment of pine in an oakwood, then a smaller regeneration zone may be indicated (e.g. Loch Maree Islands). Area does not normally include open water unless the whole of the open water is within the pinewood and regeneration zone.

Buffer Zone

Standard 500m beyond regeneration zone but can be extended further:- 500m beyond watershed or 700m above sea level (e.g. Gleann Fuar) link fragments together (e.g. Barisdale)

Buffer zones will not include extensive areas of open water (e.g. South Loch Arkaig) unless the whole of the open water is within the buffer zone. Where the buffer zone includes some ground on the other shore of a loch then the water will be part of the buffer zone (e.g. Loch Hourn).

Planted Areas

If of correct local origin then accept as pinewood if less than a third of total area of pinewood. The planted areas would be hatched on the maps and recorded as part of the regeneration zone not as part of the pinewood. Planted areas of correct origin, which are alongside pinewood, can have the regeneration zone round them (e.g. Doire Darach).

Where a planted area has just been planted or is to be planted and is more than a third of the area of the pinewood, then it may be considered as part of the buffer zone and the buffer zone may be extended to 500m beyond the planted area (e.g. Breda).

Planted areas of local origin which are more than 500m from the pinewood will be ignored.

For more detailed information please see the metadata record on Scotland's SpatialData.gov.scot Metadata Portal.