Woodland area by ownership and species: Broadleaves

Home Tools and Resources Statistics Forestry Statistics and Forestry Facts & Figures Forestry Statistics 2016 2016 – Woodland Areas and Planting 2016 – National Forest Inventory Woodland area by ownership and species: Broadleaves

Table 1.9 presents the area of broadleaves, broken down by principal species, ownership and country.

The most commonly occurring broadleaved species in Great Britain are Birch (accounting for 18% of broadleaf woodland), Oak (16%) and Ash (12%) (Table 1.9). Birch is more dominant in Scotland, accounting for 43% of the broadleaf area there.

Table 1.9 Stocked woodland area in GB by ownership and principal species: Broadleaves
Principal species	England	Wales	Scotland	GB
thousand hectares
FC¹
Oak	16	3	3	21
Beech	13	2	1	15
Sycamore	1	0	0	2
Ash	3	1	0	4
Birch	6	2	11	19
Sweet chestnut	1	0	0	1
Hazel	0	0	0	1
Hawthorn	0	0	0	0
Alder	1	0	1	1
Willow	0	0	0	0
Other broadleaves	14	9	15	38
All broadleaves	54	16	32	102
Private sector²
Oak	151	23	23	198
Beech	59	5	15	78
Sycamore	74	9	21	105
Ash	120	18	15	153
Birch	90	11	116	217
Sweet chestnut	28	0	0	28
Hazel	64	14	8	86
Hawthorn	57	8	8	73
Alder	30	10	16	56
Willow	41	11	13	65
Other broadleaves	133	12	29	174
All broadleaves	849	121	265	1 235
Total
Oak	167	26	26	219
Beech	72	6	15	94
Sycamore	75	9	22	106
Ash	123	19	16	157
Birch	96	12	128	236
Sweet chestnut	28	0	0	29
Hazel	65	14	8	87
Hawthorn	57	8	8	73
Alder	31	10	17	58
Willow	41	11	13	65
Other broadleaves	146	21	44	212
All broadleaves	902	137	297	1 337

Source: National Forest Inventory: 50-year forecast of hardwood availability (Forestry Commission, April 2014).

Notes:

1. FC: Forestry Commission (England, Scotland and Wales).

2. Private sector: all other woodland. Includes woodland previously owned/managed by the Countryside Council for Wales and the Environment Agency in Wales, other publicly owned woodland (e.g. owned by local authorities) and privately owned woodland.

3. Stocked area only: excludes felled areas and (for private sector land) open space.

4. Areas at 31 March 2012.

These figures are outside the scope of National Statistics