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.
The Scottish Government hopes 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’.
The bill aims to deliver ‘improved accountability’ and a ‘more effective use of Scotland’s publicly-owned land’. Separate to the bill, ministers will also create a new executive agency Forestry and Land Scotland and a dedicated forestry division within government.