Map permanent and temporary woodland loss.

Check turbine or building footprints, tracks, access widening, cable routes, substations, compounds, safety clearances and areas needed for construction. The forestry chapter and ecological chapter should use compatible land-take assumptions.

Distinguish felling from long-term land-use change.

Some areas may be felled and replanted; others may be permanently converted to infrastructure or open ground. Record both the gross felling area and the proposed future land use.

Check compensatory planting claims.

Identify the area, woodland type, proposed location, timing and securing mechanism. A numerical replacement area does not automatically demonstrate equivalence in habitat, landscape function or carbon.

Look for edge and fragmentation effects.

New tracks, clearances and infrastructure can change woodland structure beyond the direct footprint and can interact with bats, birds, hydrology and landscape.

Cross-check forestry with wind and ecology assumptions.

For wind farms, forestry removal can affect bat habitat, visual screening, wind conditions and habitat calculations. If different chapters assume different forestry scenarios, the inconsistency should be resolved.

Sources and further information

NatureScot - Pre-application guidance for onshore wind farms

NatureScot - Development Management and the Natural Heritage

Scottish Government - Information to be included in an EIA Report

Last checked: 26 September 2026