The Scottish Parliament will consider forestry legislation for
the first time in its history after the introduction of a Forestry
and Land Management (Scotland) Bill.
Scotland's £1 billion forestry sector, which supports 25,000
jobs, will benefit from the bill's modern approach to forestry
development, support and regulation.
New organisational structures for forestry in Scotland are also
being announced.
Together these changes will enable the Scottish Government to
better support the industry to create growth in the rural economy,
mitigate climate change and develop the role forestry plays in
health, education and recreation.
The bill will deliver:
- Improved accountability, transparency and policy alignment.
Forestry will be fully accountable to Scottish
Ministers and the Scottish Parliament
- A modernised legislative framework to develop, support and
regulate the sector in Scotland
- More effective use of Scotland's publicly owned land. The
National Forest Estate will be managed to deliver economic,
environmental and social outcomes and the Scottish Government will
be able to offer land management experience and expertise to
others.
Separate to the bill, the Scottish Government will create a new
executive agency Forestry and Land Scotland and a dedicated
forestry division within government.
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