Landscapes that tell a story of thousands of years of people, farming and industry
# Woodland & Forest
8% of the PDNP is classed as woodland. The nature of our PDNP woodlands is such that many are on steep inaccessible dalesides and isolated cloughs or of such small scale to not be viable for timber production.
For more information on woodlands see the habitats section section.
# PDNP has tree coverage below the total UK woodland coverage of 13%
8% (11,328 hectares) of the PDNP is woodland recorded by the Forestry Commission (2020). The area of woodland in the UK at 31 March 2020 is estimated to be 3.21 million hectares. This represents 13% of the total land area in the UK and 10% in England [1].
The total area of woodland in the PDNP increased by 200 hectares since 2013. Approximately 55% of woodland is classed as broad-leaved forest and 45% is classed as coniferous forest [2], although these figures and proportions can vary with data and how tree cover is measured.
More information on woodland habitat is available on this State of Biodiversity page.
Area of Woodlands National Forest Inventory Woodland Map Spatial Data 2020 National Parks England (NPE) Average & the PDNP
| NFI Indicative Forest Types (IFT) | PDNP (ha) | PDNP % | NPE (ha) | NPE % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broadleaved (Ha) | 6,624 | 58% | 91,199 | 49% |
| Conifer (Ha) | 3,426 | 30% | 56,671 | 31% |
| Coppice (Ha) | 3 | 0% | 511 | 0% |
| Failed (Ha) | 0 | 0% | 180 | 0% |
| Felled (Ha) | 622 | 5% | 19,982 | 11% |
| Ground Prepared for Planting (Ha) | 30 | 0% | 1,225 | 1% |
| Mixed (Ha) | 307 | 3% | 6,127 | 3% |
| Shrub Land (Ha) | 31 | 0% | 438 | 0% |
| Windblow (Ha) | 34 | 0% | 327 | 0% |
| Young trees (Ha) | 251 | 2% | 7,916 | 4% |
| Total area of woodland (Ha) | 11,328 | 100% | 184,576 | 100% |
IFT categories of: 'Uncertain', 'Low-density' and 'Assumed woodland’ are omitted from the total area of woodland & woods and forests of at least 0.5 hectares
Map showing the National Forest Inventory Woodland 2020 in the PDNP
# National Forest Estate Ownership England 2019
Within the PDNP, the Forestry Commission own four large estates which total 1,721 hectares of the PDNP: two estates at Hope, one at Alport and one in the Goyt Valley.
# Active Management
Two thirds (or 64 of every 100 hectares) of woodland is classed as in Active Management [3] in the PDNP, an increase from 61% in 2013. This is still below the national parks England average of 75% but remains above the England average of 58%.
# Area of Woodland Created
Over the last 10 years, the area of woodland has increased by an average of 2,000 ha per year. Over the 20-year period from 1999 to 2019 the area of woodland has increased from 9.6% to 10.0% of the land area of England [4].
The total area of new planting in the UK in 2019-20 was 13.46 thousand hectares. Conifers accounted for 56% of the total area of new planting. Most new planting (97%) took place on private sector land. 81% of the total new planting area took place in Scotland, with 17% in England, 1% in Wales and 2% in Northern Ireland [5].
The majority of woodland creation in the PDNP is funded through national agri-environment schemes and this is likely to have been through planting rather than natural regeneration.
| Year | Environmental Stewardship- Woodland Creation | Environmental Stewardship- Creation of Successional Areas & Scrub | Countryside Stewardship- Woodland Creation | PDNPA/WT Small Woods Scheme | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 0 | 21.44 | 0 | 6.41 | 27.85 |
| 2016 | 0.85 | 13.0 | 0 | 8.05 | 21.90 |
| 2017 | 1.92 | 1.37 | 31.66 | 10.06 | 45.01 |
| 2018 | 0.19 | 0 | 93.31 | 4.42 | 97.92 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 15.96 | 12.8 | 28.76 |
| TOTAL | 2.96 | 35.81 | 140.93 | 41.74 | 221.44 |
Natural England Environmental Stewardship Options data- Option HC9 (Creation of Woodland in the SDA) | Natural England Environmental Stewardship Options data- Option HC17 (Creation of Successional Areas & Scrub) | Natural England Countryside Stewardship Agreement Type- Woodland Creation Grant, except 2019- estimate provided by local FC officer
As of May 2020, the Natural England Countryside Stewardship data [6] does not show any records for Woodland Creation Grant in the PDNP. Two sites are showing for Woodland Management Plans: one at Millers Dale for 71 hectares and one smaller site (11 hectares) at Danebridge in the South West Peak.
Due to most new planting of trees taking place in the winter and the timing of paying the claims, a seasonal trend has been observed in the statistics with more payments made and counted a few months after the winter planting season. Therefore, we expect greater levels of new planting to be reported for the April to June, and July to September quarters and we should expect data for the 2020 woodland creation grant in the PDNP.
# Hectares of Woodland Created on Land Owned by the PDNP National Park Authority
Over the last 11 years, the Authority has created approximately 27 hectares of new clough (moorland valley) woodlands on its landholdings, the majority through natural regeneration. The National Park Authority owns a relatively small amount of land (about 4% of the National Park), the majority of which is already of high environmental value. This limits opportunities for new woodland creation without harming existing environmental interests. The Authority has also taken the opportunity to encourage a significant but unquantified amount of natural regeneration and development of scrub and scattered trees on moorland edges.
# Timber Statistics
The nature of our PDNP woodlands is such that many are on steep inaccessible dalesides and isolated cloughs or of such small scale to not be viable for timber production. No statistics are available for the PDNP. In the UK, there were 9.8 million green tonnes of softwood and 0.9 million green tonnes of hardwood harvested in 2019 [7].
# Public Opinion of Forestry & woodlands
95% of respondents agreed that forests and woodlands are important to the public because they are important places for wildlife. 93% agreed that forests and woodlands are important to them because they provide a space to relax and de-stress. Nearly two thirds (63%) of respondents had visited forests or woodlands in the last few years and nearly 9 in 10 respondents agree or strongly agree that ‘a lot more trees should be planted’ [8].
Forest Research: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/statistics-by-topic/woodland-statistics/ ↩︎
CORINE Satellite Data 2018: https://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/corine-land-cover ↩︎
Forestry Commission England Managed Woodland ↩︎
Provisional Woodland Statistics 2020: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-woodland-statistics-2020-edition ↩︎
Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators: https://./img.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/865061/FC_Headline_Key_Performance_Indicators_31Dec19.pdf ↩︎
Countryside Stewardship Scheme Options: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/8b2e7749-8cfe-4a43-8dc7-2c3022c4b528/countryside-stewardship-scheme-options ↩︎
Forest Research: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/statistics-by-topic/timber-statistics/uk-wood-production-and-trade-provisional-figures/ ↩︎
Forest Research, Public Opinion of Forestry: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/statistics-by-topic/public-opinion-of-forestry/ ↩︎