A new vision for forestry in Scotland which puts people first has been accepted by the Scottish parliament.
Deputy minister for environment and rural development Lewis Macdonald approved all recommendations in a report which reviewed the long-term role of the country’s forest estate.
It will mean woodlands and forests managed by Forestry Commission Scotland will be used to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for the population.
This includes providing more woodland recreation; increasing the scope of community purchase of national forest land; closer working ties between tourism and forestry; and more large-scale landscape and native woodland restoration.