The Ancient Woodland Inventory identifies over 52,000 ancient woodland sites in England. Ancient woodland is identified using presence or absence of woods from old maps, information about the wood's name, shape, internal boundaries, location relative to other features, ground survey, and aerial photography. The information recorded about each wood and stored on the Inventory Database includes its grid reference, its area in hectares and how much is semi-natural or replanted. Guidance document can be found on our Amazon Cloud Service Prior to the digitisation of the boundaries, only paper maps depicting each ancient wood at 1:50 000 scale were available.Full metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.

Updated Boundaries of Ancient Woodland polygons covering England. This is the updated spatial dataset that describes the geographic extent and location of ancient woodland in England (excluding the Isles of Scilly). Ancient Woodland features will be approved county-by-county for publication throughout the first year of production until the data product coverage extends across England. Where available this dataset takes precedence over the Ancient Woodland – England dataset. The update revises the inventory to address problems and gaps in the previous iteration. Technological advances mean that small ancient woodlands (0.25-2ha) are being represented within the inventory for the first time as well as wood pasture and parkland being represented as its own category.

The inventory identifies ancient woodland sites in England. Ancient woodland is identified by studying the presence or absence of woods from historic maps, information about the wood's name, shape, internal boundaries, location relative to other features, ground survey, and aerial photography. The information recorded about each wood and stored on the Inventory Database includes its grid reference, its area in hectares and how much is semi-natural or replanted. Prior to the digitisation of the boundaries, only paper maps depicting each ancient wood at 1:50 000 scale were available. Attribution statement: © Natural England 2024. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2024. OS AC0000851168. It includes Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW), which retains a native tree and shrub cover; Plantation on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS), where the original tree cover has been felled and replaced by planting, often with conifers; Ancient Wood Pasture (AWPP), where the trees are managed in tandem with a long established tradition of grazing, characteristically with at least some veteran trees or shrubs or; Infilled Ancient Wood Pasture (IAWPP) which has become infilled with trees arising from planting or natural regeneration.

Aktualisierte Grenzen der alten Waldpolygone, die England abdecken. Dies ist der aktualisierte Geodatensatz, der die geografische Ausdehnung und Lage alter Wälder in England (mit Ausnahme der Scilly-Inseln) beschreibt. Ancient Woodland Features werden Grafschaft für Grafschaft zur Veröffentlichung im ersten Produktionsjahr genehmigt, bis sich die Datenproduktabdeckung auf ganz England erstreckt. Soweit verfügbar, hat dieser Datensatz Vorrang vor dem Datensatz Ancient Woodland – England. Mit dem Update wird das Inventar überarbeitet, um Probleme und Lücken in der vorherigen Iteration zu beheben. Technologische Fortschritte bedeuten, dass zum ersten Mal kleine alte Wälder (0,25-2 ha) im Inventar vertreten sind sowie Waldweiden und Parklandschaften als eigene Kategorie vertreten sind.
Das Inventar identifiziert alte Waldgebiete in England. Alte Wälder werden identifiziert, indem das Vorhandensein oder Fehlen von Wäldern auf historischen Karten, Informationen über den Namen, die Form, die inneren Grenzen, den Standort im Verhältnis zu anderen Merkmalen, Bodenuntersuchungen und Luftaufnahmen untersucht wird. Die Informationen, die über jedes Holz aufgezeichnet und in der Inventardatenbank gespeichert werden, umfassen seine Rasterreferenz, seine Fläche in Hektar und wie viel naturnah oder neu bepflanzt ist. Vor der Digitalisierung der Grenzen standen nur Papierkarten zur Verfügung, die jedes alte Holz im Maßstab 1:50 000 darstellten. Erklärung zur Namensnennung: © Natürliches England 2024.Enthält OS-Daten © Crown Copyright und Datenbankrechte 2024. Betriebssystem AC0000851168. Es umfasst Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW), das einen einheimischen Baum- und Strauchbedeckung behält; Plantage auf alten Waldgebieten (PAWS), wo die ursprüngliche Baumdecke gefällt und durch Anpflanzung ersetzt wurde, oft mit Nadelbäumen; Ancient Wood Weide (AWPP), wo die Bäume in Tandem mit einer langjährigen Tradition der Beweidung bewirtschaftet werden, charakteristisch mit mindestens einigen altgedienten Bäumen oder Sträuchern oder; Infilled Ancient Wood Weide (IAWPP), die mit Bäumen gefüllt wurde, die durch Pflanzung oder natürliche Regeneration entstehen. Erklärung zur Namensnennung: © Natural England 2023, Enthält OS-Daten © Crown Copyright und Datenbankrechte 2023. Betriebssystem AC0000851168 Aktualisierte Grenzen der alten Waldpolygone, die England abdecken. Dies ist der aktualisierte Geodatensatz, der die geografische Ausdehnung und Lage alter Wälder in England (mit Ausnahme der Scilly-Inseln) beschreibt. Ancient Woodland Features werden Grafschaft für Grafschaft zur Veröffentlichung im ersten Produktionsjahr genehmigt, bis sich die Datenproduktabdeckung auf ganz England erstreckt. Soweit verfügbar, hat dieser Datensatz Vorrang vor dem Datensatz Ancient Woodland – England. Mit dem Update wird das Inventar überarbeitet, um Probleme und Lücken in der vorherigen Iteration zu beheben. Technologische Fortschritte bedeuten, dass zum ersten Mal kleine alte Wälder (0,25-2 ha) im Inventar vertreten sind sowie Waldweiden und Parklandschaften als eigene Kategorie vertreten sind. Das Inventar identifiziert alte Waldgebiete in England. Alte Wälder werden identifiziert, indem das Vorhandensein oder Fehlen von Wäldern auf historischen Karten, Informationen über den Namen, die Form, die inneren Grenzen, den Standort im Verhältnis zu anderen Merkmalen, Bodenuntersuchungen und Luftaufnahmen untersucht wird. Die Informationen, die über jedes Holz aufgezeichnet und in der Inventardatenbank gespeichert werden, umfassen seine Rasterreferenz, seine Fläche in Hektar und wie viel naturnah oder neu bepflanzt ist. Vor der Digitalisierung der Grenzen standen nur Papierkarten zur Verfügung, die jedes alte Holz im Maßstab 1:50 000 darstellten. Erklärung zur Namensnennung: © Natürliches England 2024. Enthält OS-Daten © Crown Copyright und Datenbankrechte 2024. Betriebssystem AC0000851168. Es umfasst Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW), das einen einheimischen Baum- und Strauchbedeckung behält; Plantage auf alten Waldgebieten (PAWS), wo die ursprüngliche Baumdecke gefällt und durch Anpflanzung ersetzt wurde, oft mit Nadelbäumen; Ancient Wood Weide (AWPP), wo die Bäume in Tandem mit einer langjährigen Tradition der Beweidung bewirtschaftet werden, charakteristisch mit mindestens einigen altgedienten Bäumen oder Sträuchern oder; Infilled Ancient Wood Weide (IAWPP), die mit Bäumen gefüllt wurde, die durch Pflanzung oder natürliche Regeneration entstehen. Erklärung zur Namensnennung: © Natural England 2023, Enthält OS-Daten © Crown Copyright und Datenbankrechte 2023. Betriebssystem AC0000851168

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. 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.

This is the record for Ancient Semi Natural Woodland which forms a part of the Habitat Networks (Individual) (England) dataset (link below).

The habitat network maps seek to apply the best evidence and principles and to use the best available nationally consistent spatial data. The habitat network maps are developed around 4 distinct habitat components sets and include 4 distinct network zones where action may be undertaken to build greater ecological resilience. The different elements of the maps are described below: Habitat Components; • The location of existing patches of a specific habitat for which the network is developed. This is termed the ‘Primary habitat’ e.g. lowland heathland. The main baseline data used for this is the Priority Habitat Inventories (PHIv2.2). • The location of additional habitat that naturally form mosaics with the primary habitat e.g. habitats that are most likely to form ecological mosaics possibly used by species associated with the primary habitat. This is termed the ‘Associated habitat’. The main baseline data used for this is the Priority Habitat Inventories (PHIv2.2). • The locations where habitat creation or restoration is known to occur, this is primarily sites under relevant agri-environment options. This is termed the ‘Habitat creation’ • Sites where data suggests small fragments of the primary habitat or degraded habitat exists and where restoration may be possible, this is primarily developed from information held within the current PHI v2.2. This is termed the ‘Restorable habitat’.
Network Zones; • Land within close proximity to the existing habitat components that are more likely to be suitable for habitat re-creation for the particular habitat. These areas are primarily based on soils but in many cases has been refined by also using other data such as hydrology, altitude and proximity to the coast. This is termed the ‘Network Enhancement Zone 1’. • Land within close proximity to the existing habitat components that are unlikely to be suitable for habitat re-creation but where other types of habitat may be created or land management may be enhanced including delivery of suitable Green Infrastructure. This is termed the ‘Network Enhancement Zone 2’. • Land immediately adjoining existing habitat patches that are small or have excessive edge to area ratio where habitat creation is likely to help reduce the effects of habitat fragmentation. This is termed the ‘Fragmentation Action Zone’. • Land within relatively close proximity to the Network Enhancement Zones 1 & 2 that are more likely to be suitable for habitat creation for the particular habitat and identifying possible locations for connecting and linking up networks across a landscape. This is termed the ‘Network Expansion Zone’.
Note: For some habitat networks not all of the habitat components or all the action zones are identified either because the data does not exist or the habitat does not lend itself to identifying particular types of action. Further details are outlined in the Habitat Network Mapping Guidance document. The Network boundary is drawn around the 4 habitat components using a variable buffering process with a generalised distance of 500m although 1km was used for Blanket Bog. As the boundary for each habitat network is tightly drawn around the existing patches of habitat this means that at a national scale the habitat network is composed of a series of smaller ‘networks’ that encapsulates one or more clusters of existing habitat patches. These may be considered as ‘network segments’. The Network Expansion Zone has been drawn around these segments to identify areas where additional action may be undertaken to build greater ecological resilience across the wider landscape.

This layer combines the original Section 3 Woodland layer (Dataset 47) with the Ancient Woodland Inventory published by Natural England (Dataset 158). This layer supersedes Section 3 Woodland and is used in any planning decisions. This layer will also replace Section 3 Woodland in the automatic constraints checker.

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

Section 3 Woodland. In the North York Moors, woodland covers 22% of the National Park but it varies considerably in type and scale. Coniferous plantation accounts for nearly three-quarters of the wooded area. The Section 3 Woodland map includes the following categories: all woodland defined as ancient semi-natural and ancient re-planted on the Provisional Ancient Woodland Inventories (published by the Nature Conservancy Council, now Natural England). Most re-planted woods will retain elements of the original woodland interest which may be of value or provide opportunities for restoration in the future; woodland which has a known high nature conservation interest, such as that identified in the National Park's Phase 1 and Phase 2 habitat surveys; semi-natural broadleaved woodland (ie woodland which has established itself by natural regeneration) except where it is in the process of colonising a more important habitat or where removal is preferred to restore another habitat; new native woodlands defined according to published guidelines (Forestry Commission Bulletin 112) where they are considered to have a high conservation value from the outset. (It is suggested that other newly established woodlands are not included until their landscape or nature conservation value can be demonstrated); any other area of woodland which is being specifically managed to enhance the woodland nature conservation interest; any broadleaf, conifer or mixed woodland which has a high landscape value which should be perpetuated; woodland which it is important to conserve for its recreational value, and hence the appreciation of natural beauty by the public.

Ancient Semi Natural Woodland

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are a statutory designation made under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 by principal local authorities. Parish and Town Councils can also declare LNRs but they must have the powers to do so delegated to them by a principal local authority. LNRs are for people and wildlife. They are places with wildlife or geological features that are of special interest locally. They offer people opportunities to study or learn about nature or simply to enjoy it. They range from windswept coastal headlands, ancient woodlands and flower-rich meadows to former inner city railways, long abandoned landfill sites and industrial areas now re-colonised by wildlife. They are an impressive natural resource which makes an important contribution to England's biodiversity. Attribution statement: © Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right [year]. NB This national dataset is “indicative” not “definitive”. Definitive information can only be provided by individual local authorities and you should refer directly to their information for all purposes that require the most up to date and complete dataset. Attribution statement: Attribution statement: © Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right [year].

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

De inventaris identificeert meer dan 52.000 oude bosgebieden in Engeland. Oude bossen worden geïdentificeerd aan de hand van de aanwezigheid of afwezigheid van bossen van oude kaarten, informatie over de naam van het hout, vorm, interne grenzen, locatie ten opzichte van andere kenmerken, grondonderzoek en luchtfotografie. De informatie die over elk hout is geregistreerd en in de inventarisdatabank is opgeslagen, omvat de referentie van het raster, de oppervlakte in hectaren en de hoeveelheid seminatuurlijk of herbeplant. Vóór de digitalisering van de grenzen waren alleen papieren kaarten beschikbaar met elk oud hout op schaal 1:50 000. Toewijzingsverklaring: © Natural England copyright. Bevat Ordnance Survey gegevens © Crown copyright en database right [year]. De inventaris identificeert meer dan 52.000 oude bosgebieden in Engeland. Oude bossen worden geïdentificeerd aan de hand van de aanwezigheid of afwezigheid van bossen van oude kaarten, informatie over de naam van het hout, vorm, interne grenzen, locatie ten opzichte van andere kenmerken, grondonderzoek en luchtfotografie. De informatie die over elk hout is geregistreerd en in de inventarisdatabank is opgeslagen, omvat de referentie van het raster, de oppervlakte in hectaren en de hoeveelheid seminatuurlijk of herbeplant. Vóór de digitalisering van de grenzen waren alleen papieren kaarten beschikbaar met elk oud hout op schaal 1:50 000. Toewijzingsverklaring: © Natural England copyright. Bevat Ordnance Survey gegevens © Crown copyright en database right [year].

The Priority Habitat Inventory is a spatial dataset that maps priority habitats identified in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and listed as being of principal importance for the purpose of conserving or enhancing biodiversity, under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006).

The PHI is updated twice a year and where possible habitats are mapped to polygons in OS Mastermap. These polygons are merged or split where necessary to create resulting habitat patches.

The PHI currently maps 27 terrestrial and freshwater priority habitats across England. These being: Blanket bog (BLBOG), Calaminarian grassland (CALAM), Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh (CFPGM), Coastal saltmarsh (SALTM), Coastal sand dunes (CSDUN), Coastal vegetated shingle (CVSHI), Deciduous woodland (DWOOD), Limestone pavements (LPAVE), Lowland calcareous grassland (LCGRA), Lowland dry acid grassland (LDAGR), Lowland Fens (LFENS), Lowland heathland (LHEAT), Lowland meadows (LMEAD), Lowland raised bog (LRBOG), Maritime cliff & slope (MCSLP), Mountain heath & willow scrub (MHWSC), Mudflats (MUDFL), Purple moor grass & rush pastures (PMGRP), Reedbeds (RBEDS), Saline lagoons (SLAGO), Traditional orchards (TORCH), Upland calcareous grassland (UCGRA), Upland hay meadows (UHMEA), Upland heathland (UHEAT), Upland flushes, fens & swamps (UFFSW), Lakes (LAKES), Ponds (PONDS).

The PHI also includes four habitat classes which are not priority habitats, but which hold potential importance for conservation of biodiversity in England. These can indicate a mosaic of habitat which may contain priority habitats, have restoration potential and/or contribute to ecological networks. Where evidence indicates the presence of unmapped or fragmented priority habitats within such polygons, these are attributed as additional habitats. These being: Fragmented heath (FHEAT), Grass moorland (GMOOR), Good quality semi-improved grassland (GQSIG), No main habitat (NMHAB).

For some polygons the PHI contains additional information about the main habitats in the form of feature descriptions and corresponding feature codes. These being: Priority Ponds and lakes - Oligotrophic lakes (OLIGO), Dystrophic lakes (DYSTR), Mesotrophic lakes (MESOT), Eutrophic standing waters (EUTRO), Ice age pond (ICEAG), Pond with floating mats (PWFLM) Deciduous woodland – Upland Oakwood (UPOWD), Lowland beech and yew woodland (LBYWD), Upland mixed ashwoods (UMAWD), Wet Woodland (WETWD), Lowland mixed deciduous woodland (ASNWD), Plantations on ancient woodland (PAWDS) Grassland – Countryside Stewardship Option (CSOPT), Waxcap grassland (WAXCP) Heathland – Dry Heathland (DRYHL), Wet heathland (WETHL) Coastal sand dunes – Dunes under coniferous woodland (CWDUN), Dunes under deciduous woodland (DWDUN) General – Degraded (DEGRD)

This dataset exceeds the size and feature limits of the Shapefile format, so is unavailable on the Natural England Open Data Geoportal in that format. Please select ESRI File Geodatabase or another format to download.The Priority Habitat Inventory is a spatial dataset that maps priority habitats identified in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and listed as being of principal importance for the purpose of conserving or enhancing biodiversity, under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006).Habitats mapped in the PHIThe PHI currently maps 27 terrestrial and freshwater priority habitats across England.

Priority Habitat Name

HabCode

Blanket bog

BLBOG

Calaminarian grassland

CALAM

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh

CFPGM

Coastal saltmarsh

SALTM

Coastal sand dunes

CSDUN

Coastal vegetated shingle

CVSHI

Deciduous woodland

DWOOD

Limestone pavements

LPAVE

Lowland calcareous grassland

LCGRA

Lowland dry acid grassland

LDAGR

Lowland fens

LFENS

Lowland heathland

LHEAT

Lowland meadows

LMEAD

Lowland raised bog

LRBOG

Maritime cliff & slope

MCSLP

Mountain heath & willow scrub

MHWSC

Mudflats

MUDFL

Purple moor grass & rush pastures

PMGRP

Reedbeds

RBEDS

Saline lagoons

SLAGO

Traditional orchards

TORCH

Upland calcareous grassland

UCGRA

Upland hay meadows

UHMEA

Upland heathland

UHEAT

Upland flushes, fens & swamps

UFFSW

Lakes

LAKES

Ponds

PONDS

Non Priority Habitats mapped in the PHIThe PHI also includes four habitat classes which are not priority habitats, but which hold potential importance for conservation of biodiversity in England. These can indicate a mosaic of habitat which may contain priority habitats, have restoration potential and/or contribute to ecological networks. Where evidence indicates the presence of unmapped or fragmented priority habitats within such polygons, these are attributed as additional habitats.

Non-Priority Habitat Name

HabCode

Description

Fragmented heath

FHEAT

This refers to areas of degraded and relict upland heathland, typically in a mosaic with acid grassland that fails to meet the Upland Heathland priority habitat definition.

Grass moorland

GMOOR

This includes large areas of upland grassland, which may contain mosaics of priority habitat, but tends to be species-poor, grass dominated acid grassland above the moorland line.

Good quality semi-improved grassland

GQSIG

This includes grasslands with biodiversity value that do not meet priority grassland habitat definitions.

No main habitat

NMHAB

In some cases, a priority habitat may be present within a polygon, but its extent may be less than the minimum mapping unit, or it may not be accurately mappable.

Feature Descriptions and CodesFor some polygons the PHI contains additional information about the main habitats in the form of feature descriptions and corresponding feature codes. These are new fields to the PHI and currently only sparsely populated. We expect the use of these fields to expand over coming updates with new features and codes.

Feature Description

Feature Code

Priority ponds and lakes

Oligotrophic lakes

OLIGO

Dystrophic lakes

DYSTR

Mesotrophic lakes

MESOT

Eutrophic standing waters

EUTRO

Ice age pond

ICEAG

Pond with floating mats

PWFLM

Deciduous woodland

Upland oakwood

UPOWD

Lowland beech and yew woodland

LBYWD

Upland mixed ashwoods

UMAWD

Wet woodland

WETWD

Lowland mixed deciduous woodland

LMDWD

Upland birchwoods

UPBWD

Ancient semi natural woodland

ASNWD

Plantations on ancient woodland

PAWDS

Grassland

Countryside Stewardship Option

CSOPT

Waxcap grassland

WAXCP

Heathland

Dry heathland

DRYHL

Wet heathland

WETHL

Coastal sand dunes

Dunes under coniferous woodland

CWDUN

Dunes under deciduous woodland

DWDUN

General

Degraded

DEGRD

Spatial framework: Wherever possible habitats are mapped to polygons in OS Mastermap. These polygons are merged or split where necessary to create resulting habitat patches.Coverage: EnglandUpdate Frequency: The PHI is updated twice a year.Metadata: Full metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.Uses include: National planning and targeting for nature recovery; agri-environment scheme targeting; local development planning; Local Nature Recovery Strategies.Contact: If you have any questions or feedback regarding the Priority Habitats’ Inventory, please contact the Habitats’ Inventory Project Team at the following email address.HabitatInventories@naturalengland.org.ukAttributes

Alias

Field name

Example Value

Description

Main habitats

MainHabs

Lowland dry acid grassland, Lowland heathland

Name(s) of habitat(s) present in the polygon.

Habitat codes

HabCodes

LDAGR, LHEAT

List of codes(s) representing main habitat(s) present in the polygon.

Habitat feature descriptions

FeatDesc

Dry heathland

Additional information about the nature of the habitat or features present.

Habitat feature codes

FeatCodes

DRYHL

List of code(s) corresponding to the habitat feature descriptions.

Other habitat classifications

OtherClass

Phase1(D5)

Additional habitat classification information relating to main habitats.

Additional habitats present

AddHabs

GQSIG, LFENS

List of code(s) for additional habitats that may be present within the polygon.

Primary data sources

PrimSource

Natural England's SSSI database ENSIS (LDAGR), Northumberland County Council Phase 1 Survey 2003 (LHEAT)

List of primary sources for the main habitats present in the polygon, with corresponding HabCode in brackets.

Area in hectares

AreaHa

0.14

Polygon area in hectares rounded to one decimal place.

Publication version

Version

July_24

Date of publication for the current PHI update: Month_Year.

Unique ID

UID

PHIDXXXXXXXXXX _YYYYYYYYYYY

Unique ID for the polygon based on XY location coordinates.

Spatial and Attribute Metadata and Licensing informationSpatial Metadata - Priority Habitats Inventory.pdfAttribute Metadata - Priority Habitats Inventory.pdfLayer File - PHI.lyrFull metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.

Under the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) Pilot, Natural England and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) have been working in partnership to use BSBI's vast database of plant records to inform the evidence base for tree-planting activities. Poorly targeted tree planting risks damaging wildlife and carbon-rich habitats, therefore using these data we aim to ensure that areas of high conservation value are preserved in the landscape. The summarised botanical value map provides an easily interpretable output which categorises monads (1 x 1 km grid squares) as being of Low, Moderate or High botanical value according to the presence of Rare, Scarce and Threatened (RST) plant species and/or the proportion of Priority Habitat Positive Indicator (PHPI) species that were recorded within the 1 x 1 km grid square between 1970 and 2022. The PHPI species are a combination of BSBI axiophytes, positive indicators for common standards monitoring and ancient woodland indicators. The dataset includes an overall botanical value, as well as values based on only the presence of RST plant species, and a value for each broad habitat type based on the PHPI species records. By viewing the different attributes, you can gain insights into how valuable a monad is for different habitat types and for plant species of conservation concern, as well as an indication of how well a particular monad has been surveyed. The categories of 'No indicators, poor survey coverage' and 'No indicators, good survey coverage' indicate where no indicator species have been recorded and survey coverage either is above or below a threshold of 3 'recorder days'. A 'recorder day' is defined as being when 40 or more species have been recorded on a single visit and 3 recorder days is assumed sufficient to achieve good survey coverage within a 1 x 1 km grid square. This map is not intended to be used to carry out detailed assessments of individual site suitability for tree planting, for which the RST plant species heatmap at 100 x 100 m resolution and the PHPI heatmaps at 1 x 1 km resolution have been developed by BSBI and Natural England. However, the summarised botanical value map can provide useful insights at a strategic landscape scale, to highlight monads of high value for vascular plants and inform spatial planning and prioritisation, and other land management decision-making. These should be used alongside other environmental datasets and local knowledge to ensure decisions are supported by the appropriate evidence. Please get in contact if you have any queries about the data or appropriate uses at botanicalheatmaps@naturalengland.org.uk.Datasets used:BSBI botanical heatmap data - BSBIOS Grids - OSONS Country boundaries - ONSCommon Standards Monitoring guidance - JNCC 2004BSBI's Axiophyte list - Walker 2018Ancient Woodland Indicators - Glaves et al. 2009Plantatt - Hill et al. 2004Further information can be found in the technical report at:Botanical Heatmaps and the Botanical Value Map: Technical Report (NERR110)Full metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.

Spatial data supporting the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) additional contribution targeting for Nature Recovery, where the layer indicates ‘Premium’, ‘Higher’ and ‘Lower’ priority areas for woodland network expansion. Data input sources: National Forest Inventory (NFI) 2012 Map plus additional woodland habitat network modelling provided by Forest Research. Habitat Networks (England) - Ancient Semi Natural Woodland 2019 map by Natural England Attributes: ‘cat’ – ‘Premium’, ‘Higher’ and ‘Lower’ priority area for woodland network expansion ‘ewco_score’ – the number of points the additional contribution provides per hectare, if awarded ‘ewco_val’ – £ value the additional contribution provides per hectare, if awarded Lineage: First published to support the woodland creation grant under Countryside Stewardship (CS), launched in 2015.  The layers attributes were updated in 2021 to cater for the new England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) scheme. The layer was edited in 2024 to add the ‘Premium’ priority area, based on data from the Habitat Networks (England) - Ancient Semi Natural Woodland map and the Countryside Stewardship elements removed.

The habitat network maps seek to apply the best evidence and principles and to use the best available nationally consistent spatial data. The habitat network maps are developed around 4 distinct habitat components sets and include 4 distinct network zones where action may be undertaken to build greater ecological resilience. The different elements of the maps are described below: Habitat Components; • The location of existing patches of a specific habitat for which the network is developed. This is termed the ‘Primary habitat’ e.g. lowland heathland. The main baseline data used for this is the Priority Habitat Inventories (PHIv2.2). • The location of additional habitat that naturally form mosaics with the primary habitat e.g. habitats that are most likely to form ecological mosaics possibly used by species associated with the primary habitat. This is termed the ‘Associated habitat’. The main baseline data used for this is the Priority Habitat Inventories (PHIv2.2). • The locations where habitat creation or restoration is known to occur, this is primarily sites under relevant agri-environment options. This is termed the ‘Habitat creation’ • Sites where data suggests small fragments of the primary habitat or degraded habitat exists and where restoration may be possible, this is primarily developed from information held within the current PHI v2.2. This is termed the ‘Restorable habitat’.
Network Zones; • Land within close proximity to the existing habitat components that are more likely to be suitable for habitat re-creation for the particular habitat. These areas are primarily based on soils but in many cases has been refined by also using other data such as hydrology, altitude and proximity to the coast. This is termed the ‘Network Enhancement Zone 1’. • Land within close proximity to the existing habitat components that are unlikely to be suitable for habitat re-creation but where other types of habitat may be created or land management may be enhanced including delivery of suitable Green Infrastructure. This is termed the ‘Network Enhancement Zone 2’. • Land immediately adjoining existing habitat patches that are small or have excessive edge to area ratio where habitat creation is likely to help reduce the effects of habitat fragmentation. This is termed the ‘Fragmentation Action Zone’. • Land within relatively close proximity to the Network Enhancement Zones 1 & 2 that are more likely to be suitable for habitat creation for the particular habitat and identifying possible locations for connecting and linking up networks across a landscape. This is termed the ‘Network Expansion Zone’.
Note: For some habitat networks not all of the habitat components or all the action zones are identified either because the data does not exist or the habitat does not lend itself to identifying particular types of action. Further details are outlined in the Habitat Network Mapping Guidance document. The Network boundary is drawn around the 4 habitat components using a variable buffering process with a generalised distance of 500m although 1km was used for Blanket Bog. As the boundary for each habitat network is tightly drawn around the existing patches of habitat this means that at a national scale the habitat network is composed of a series of smaller ‘networks’ that encapsulates one or more clusters of existing habitat patches. These may be considered as ‘network segments’. The Network Expansion Zone has been drawn around these segments to identify areas where additional action may be undertaken to build greater ecological resilience across the wider landscape.

Hastings Local Plan Planning Strategy 2011-2028 planning constraints including Protected Green and Open Spaces and Cycle Routes (Polygon Data). This data is a digitised version of the Hastings Local Plan Planning Strategy 2011-2028 Policies Map. The data is a snapshot of the constraints when they were created for adoption in 2014, things may have changed since then. It includes Green Constraints that have national and internation designations including Ancient Woodland, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SAC and AONB and these may no longer be correct and should not be relied upon, this data should be obtained direct from Natural England. Upon accessing this Licenced Data you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Public Sector End User Licence - INSPIRE (http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/public-sector/mapping-agreements/inspire-licence.html).

This is an Historic dataset of the Hastings Local Plan 2004 planning constraints. The Hastings Local Plan 2004 has been superseded in its entirety by the Hastings Local Plan made up of The Hastings Planning Strategy and Development Management Plan. This dataset is a digitised version of the Hastings Local Plan 2004 Policies Map (Polygon Data). The data is a snapshot of the constraints when they were created in 2004 and things have changed since then. It includes Green Constraints that have national and international designations including Ancient Woodland, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SAC and AONB and these are no longer correct and should not be relied upon, this data should be obtained direct from Natural England. Upon accessing this Licenced Data you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Public Sector End User Licence - INSPIRE (http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/public-sector/mapping-agreements/inspire-licence.html)

Spatial datasets consider the lands contribution to preventing and mitigating climate change, through storage of carbon in the Soils (below ground). This below Ground Carbon spatial datasets represent a strategic resource for England, that indicate the range of carbon storage values in tonnes of carbon per hectare (t C Ha-1 ). At a local scale (e.g. 1:50 000). They are presented as a series of raster datasets for use in GIS Systems at a resolution of 25m2. These maps will assist users to find out where the most important carbon stores in soils in their areas.They are not suitable for field scale carbon mitigation as this would require field scale carbon assessment. As well as soil being an excellent natural carbon sink, locking carbon away from the atmosphere and reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses produced soil carbon has a number of other excellent benefits. The amount of carbon stored within mineral soil depends upon the soil type, with clay rich and silt rich soils storing more carbon than sandy soils. Within peat soils, carbon storage operates by a different process. In a non-compromised or fully functional state peat soils are fully saturated with water for most of the year. This leads to the minimal decomposition of plant biomass, so soil carbon builds up faster than decomposition can occur, so no equilibrium is reached, to form a very carbon-rich layer of peat. However, if the peats are damaged so leading to drying out the soil microbial activity can re-start, and as the carbon is utilised by the soil microfauna, carbon dioxide and methane are then released to the atmosphere, changing a carbon sink that is sequestering carbon, into a source of greenhouse gas emissions. (UK Peatland Strategy 2018) . Natural England produced a report in 2021 reviewing this research and compiling different land use. approximate values in tons per hectare of carbon for a wide variety of habitats in England (Gregg et al 2021) see Carbon Storage and Sequestration by Habitat 2021 (NERR094).

Framework created from Soilscapes and NE Natural England Peat Map (Natural England 2008).Soilscapes- 1:250,000 scale soils dataset. [https://www.landis.org.uk/soilsguide/soilscapes_list.cfm ]. the 27 soils carbon figure was assigned. This data was split in 2; Mineral Soils; Organo mineral & Peat Soils. Mineral soil split by habitats. modified by: PHI habitat overlying the soil (more natural / semi-natural the higher the score) with 50% overlap = 30% uplift carbon; the Ancient Woodland (NE 2019) with 50% overlap add 30% uplift in carbon. Organo Mineral & Peat soils: NE Peat Map (2008) was used to describe the shallow and deep peat soils, inc. peaty pockets. then conflated with the Soilscape for organo -mineral soils and peat soils with the NE peat map having priority. Modifiers were used & included: Indications that the habitats might be in good ecological condition, the PHI and the SSSI was used as a proxy. If no PHI overlap a 10% reduction; If the habitat overlying the soil is Fen = 2 x carbon figure. If the habitat overlying the soil is Raised Bog = 2.5 x carbon figure; Arable = reduced carbon lost from peat soils under. The Mineral and Organo mineral & Peat Soils rejoined to single England layer. Then Soil depth & Slope adjustment. Soil depth important to carbon stored. Most carbon in the topsoil, lesser amount of carbon held deep in soil profiles. Put into the model each soil type was allocated to one of four depth classes: Shallow soils with a profile likely to be 15-50 cm or less; The models assumed a 30 cm depth for carbon calculations; Normal depth mineral soils with a profile between 1 m and 1.25 m. The models assumed a 1 m depth for carbon calculations. Blanket peat soils. The models assumed a 2 m depth for carbon calculations. Raised bog and fen peat soils. Model assumed 4 m depth for carbon calculations. Slope, habitats occurring on steep slopes have thinner soil. A value of over 18o was used to show as a proxy for thinner soils. Slope occurring on; on slopes between 0-11o = 0%; on slopes between 11o - 18o = -10%; on slopes over 18o = -20%. NE PHI/ Ancient Woodland - OGL NE Living England - OGL NE Peatmap [2008] - Non- comercial licence Soilscapes - Cranfield University- NE Bespoke Licence SRTM- NASA ShuttleRadar Topography- Open Topography