Woodland Opportunity Map 2021
Welsh Government
An overall score map for woodland creation in Wales is shown at a medium scale in green, highlighting the best opportunities at a strategic level for new woodland creation. This overall score is based on data layers of ecosystem services or benefits arising from new woodland creation, and support a range of Welsh Government’s forestry and environmental policies. The separate data layers that make up the overall score can be viewed individually at a smaller scale.
The map also includes information to show areas that are potentially sensitive to new woodland creation and signposts further guidance on consultation with the appropriate authority. These sensitivity layers show areas of Wales where biophysical, landscape designations and archaeological sites have been identified that require further investigation and advice. These layers can be analysed using the map tools to show where a planting proposal potentially intersects with a sensitive area. Detailed further guidance can be found in pop-up text boxes accompanying these layers.
To access the Woodland Opportunity Map User Guide, click here
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Data this map is using (44)
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WOM21 Acid Sensitive Catchment
Forestry is known to affect the acidification of waters, principally due to the ability of forest canopies to capture more …
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WOM21 Air Pollution - PM2.5
Air pollution mitigation is scored in the Woodland Opportunity Map (WOM) using two different datasets identifying the ability to mitigate …
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WOM21 Water Bodies
This layer shows mapped water bodies in Wales. These are present to indicate areas that are highly likely to be …
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WOM21 Potential Habitat for Open-ground Dependent Birds
Chough, Curlew, Golden Plover, and Lapwing are all species of particular conservation concern, for which woodland creation could be particularly …
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WOM21 Historic Environment Features (HEF)
This data layer identifies a number of known historic environment features and landscapes that retain a physical presence, but which …
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WOM21 Potential Habitat for Water Voles
Water vole is a Protected Species (Schedule 5, Wildlife & Countryside Act, 1981) and is the fastest declining mammal across …
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WOM21 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an area of high scenic quality which has statutory protection in order …
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WOM21 Social Benefits
This layer shows where woodland creation is expected to contribute to social benefits of improved mental health and access to …
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WOM21 Regionally Important Geodiversity Site (RIGS)
Regionally Important Geodiversity Site (RIGS) are non-statutory local designations including the most important places for geology, geomorphology and soils outside …
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WOM21 Potential Habitat for Fritillary Butterflies over Bracken
The data layer shows areas of bracken which may support fritillary butterfly populations. The butterfly areas are derived from records …
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WOM21 Red Squirrel Areas
Red squirrels are a Protected Species (Schedule 5, Wildlife & Countryside Act, 1981) and are classified as Endangered in Wales. …
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WOM21 Open Access
This dataset shows land designated as Open Access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) over …
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WOM21 Scheduled Monument
Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (as amended by the Historic Environment (Wales) Act, 2016) the Welsh …
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WOM21 Registered Historic Parks and Gardens (RHPG)
Cadw has undertaken a comprehensive survey of historic parks and gardens in Wales. Those thought to be of national importance …
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WOM21 Non-Habitat Land
This layer shows areas identified by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) as not sensitive to woodland creation. This includes habitat that …
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WOM21 Sensitive Arable Plants
This dataset is based on recent records of rare arable plants (2000 to 2017) and the field in which they …
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WOM21 Historic Landscape Areas (HLA)
This data layer represents the amalgamated character areas of the Registered Landscapes of Outstanding and of Special Interest in Wales. …
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WOM21 Deep Peat and Modified Deep Peat
Deep peat is defined in the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) as soil having a predominantly organic (peat) layer, of depth …
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WOM21 Tree Suitability
This layer shows areas of Wales where a combined basket of 7 tree species can be expected to thrive under …
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WOM21 Priority Habitat Mosaics - Investigation Required
This “Priority Habitat Mosaics- Investigation Required” data layer shows land that consists of large mosaics of upland habitats - mixtures …
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WOM21 Air Pollution - Ammonia
Air pollution mitigation is scored in the Woodland Opportunity Map (WOM) using two different datasets identifying the ability to mitigate …
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WOM21 National Park
National Parks are extensive tracts of country that are protected by law for future generations because of their natural beauty …
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WOM21 National Forest Inventory (NFI)
This layer shows mapped woodland areas in Wales. These are present to indicate areas that are highly likely to be …
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WOM21 Community Wards
This data set was derived from Ordnance Survey boundary data showing Community Ward boundaries. This is intended to help work …
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WOM21 Summarised Sensitivities
This layer summarises all the Woodland Opportunity Map potential sensitivities into a single data set. This data is merged and …
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WOM21 Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is an area selected on scientific criteria and protected under the Wildlife and …
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WOM21 Grassland Fungi
Grassland fungi assemblages and some individual species are on the Section 7 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 list and …
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WOM21 Welsh Archaeological Trusts
Shows areas of consultation for each Welsh Archaeological Trusts - this is useful as a reference for working out the …
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WOM21 Flood Mitigation
This layer shows where woodland creation will potentially alleviate flooding. This data layer comes from “Working with Natural Processes” (WWNP) …
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WOM21 Commons
This datalayer shows registered Common Land in Wales. Woodland creation on common land may affect access and other rights held …
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WOM21 Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) 100/300m Buffer 100/300m
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is an area selected on scientific criteria and protected under the Wildlife and …
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WOM21 Potential Habitat for Great Crested Newts
Great crested newts are a European protected species, and deliberate killing injuring or disturbing individuals or damaging or destroying their …
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WOM21 Diffuse Water Pollution
This layer shows pollutant impacts on water quality within Water Framework Directive (WFD) sub-catchments – specifically focused on Phosphate (P), …
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WOM21 Woodland Creation Score
This overall scoring layer gives a strategic overview of the areas which have the best opportunities for woodland creation. The …
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WOM21 Ancient Woodland Inventory
This dataset comprises of the boundaries of Ancient Woodland sites in Wales which are those which have been wooded for …
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WOM21 Upland Special Protection Areas (SPA)
Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are strictly protected sites classified in accordance with Article 4 of the EC Birds Directive and …
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WOM21 Upland Special Protection Areas (SPA) 500m Buffer
Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are strictly protected sites classified in accordance with Article 4 of the EC Birds Directive and …
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WOM21 Carbon Sequestration
This layer shows, from modelling at a spatial resolution of 250m2, the maximum possible tonnes of carbon sequestered per hectare …
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WOM21 Wales High Water Mark
Wales (High water mark). This data has been derived from Ordnance Survey Boundary-Line data. https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/products/boundary-line.html
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WOM21 World Heritage Site (WHS)
World Heritage Sites are places that the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has inscribed on a list of international sites …
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WOM21 Woodland Habitat Network
This layer shows where tree planting is encouraged to achieve more robust and resilient woodland networks to benefit biodiversity. Woodland …
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WOM21 Priority Habitat - High Sensitivity
This “Priority Habitat - High Sensitivity” data layer shows semi-natural habitats which are listed as priority habitats under Section 7 …
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WOM21 Great Crested Newt (GCN) Potential Habitat - Voluntary
This is not a mandatory consultation layer. The areas shown in this layer and associated guidance here does not have …
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WOM21 Scheduled Monument (SM) 50m Buffer
Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (as amended by the Historic Environment (Wales) the Welsh Ministers, through …
- Type:
- Map
- Category:
- Environment
- Creation date:
- 25 June 2021
- License:
- Not Specified
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Copyright:
- Keywords:
- Environment, Forestry, Woodland
- Point of contact:
- data@gov.wales
- Edition
- Draft map
- Language
- English