National Forest Inventory: Wales Woodland Map

All forest and woodland areas over 0.5 hectares with at least 20% canopy cover are mapped, including features like new planting and clearfell. The dataset is updated annually using Sentinel 2 satellite imagery and aerial photography from spring/summer 2024, alongside grant scheme data. Woodland areas are classified into interpreted forest types such as Conifer and Broadleaved.

Use Cases

• Monitoring land use change based on annual updates of woodland boundaries and canopy cover.
• Assessing forestry grant scheme impact using integrated new planting information for the 2023/2024 financial year.
• Classifying woodland composition for ecological studies using interpreted forest type categories like Conifer and Broadleaved.
• Identifying non-woodland open areas greater than 0.5 hectares completely surrounded by woodland for habitat mapping.

Strengths

• Annual updates ensure temporal relevance, with the latest assessment referencing spring/summer 2024 imagery.
• Detailed inclusion criteria specify a minimum area of 0.5 hectares and 20% canopy cover, providing a clear data scope.
• Multiple data sources are integrated, including satellite imagery, aerial photography, and administrative grant data.

Limitations

• Metadata for size, row count, license, and specific columns is consistently missing across all platform entries.
• There is a conflict in the referenced financial year for new planting data between 2023/2024 and 2021/2020 across different descriptions.
• Woodland areas smaller than 0.5 hectares are excluded from the main map, requiring a separate survey for complete coverage.

Provenance

Source

Forestry Commission

Collection Method

Interpreted from aerial photography and satellite imagery (Sentinel 2), combined with grant scheme and sub-compartment database records.

Time Range

Assessment period includes spring/summer 2024 imagery and the 2023/2024 financial year for new planting.

Freshness

Last updated metadata indicates 2026-04-07, with assessment data from spring/summer 2024.

Geography

Wales, United Kingdom. The dataset also notes handling of woodland areas that cross country borders.