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The Forestry Commission, Natural Resources Wales and the Forest Service owned or managed 27% of the total woodland area in the UK in 2016 (Table 1.3). This proportion ranged from 16% of the woodland area in England to 55% in Northern Ireland.

Table 1.3 Area of woodland in the UK by ownership, 2012-2016
Ownership England Wales Scotland Northern
Ireland
UK
thousand hectares
FC/NRW/FS woodland1
2012 214 117 481 62 874
2013 214 117 481 62 874
2014 215 117 477 62 871
2015 215 117 478 62 871
2016 215 117 471 62 864
Private sector woodland2
2012 1 083 188 922 44 2 236
2013 1 084 188 930 49 2 252
2014 1 087 189 947 50 2 273
2015 1 091 189 954 50 2 283
2016 1 091 189 965 50 2 296
Total woodland
2012 1 298 305 1 403 105 3 110
2013 1 298 305 1 411 111 3 125
2014 1 302 306 1 424 111 3 143
2015 1 305 306 1 432 112 3 155
2016 1 306 306 1 436 112 3 160

Source: Forestry Commission, Natural Resources Wales, Forest Service, National Forest Inventory.

Notes:

1. FC: Forestry Commission (England and Scotland), NRW: Natural Resources Wales, FS: Forest Service (Northern Ireland). NRW estimates only relate to woodland formerly owned/managed by FC 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. Figures for England, Wales and Scotland are based on data obtained from the National Forest Inventory (NFI) and adjusted for new planting, but at present no adjustment is made for woodland recently converted to another land use. Further information on how the figures have been estimated is available in the Sources chapter.

4. Northern Ireland figures are obtained from the Northern Ireland Woodland Register.

5. Areas as at 31 March.

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