What is a woodland croft?

A woodland croft is a registered croft created from an existing woodland.

Woodland crofts are a new opportunity for individuals and communities to build lives and livelihoods based on the woodland resource. It is also expected that the new approach to management taken by woodland crofters will deliver increased social, economic and environmental benefits. Lifestyles & livelihoods based on woodlands are traditional in many parts of the world, but are currently rare in Scotland.

Although it is anticipated that woodland crofts will always involve an element of woodland management, the exact nature and extent of this is not prescribed. Whilst there are constraints on how a woodland is managed at the whole woodland scale, there is considerable flexibility for individual woodland croft tenants to manage their crofts to meet their own needs and aspirations.

Woodland crofts are governed by a combination of crofting legislation, and forest regulation. 

Woodland Crofts Housing Seminar

Access to housing is a key potential outcome in the development of woodland crofts.  In partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland, HIE ran a one day seminar in Ardfern, Argyll on this subject in April 2010.  The event was hosted by Craignish Community Company.  Audio and video presentations have now been published on the Scottish Community Land Network website - you can access them by clicking on the relevant link in the orange box on the right hand side.

More information

In partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland, HIE has employed a woodland crofts officer to develop this concept.  You can find his contact details on the CLU contacts page.

Other useful contacts:

NFLS Programme Manager, Forestry Commission                                            01349 860901

Crofters Commission, Inverness                                                                                             01463 663450

Further reading

Please download our guidance notes from the box on the right for more information on woodland crofts:

• What is a woodland croft? (this guidance was updated in April 2010)
• Woodland crofts allocation: guidance for community landlords
• A short guide to rural housing bodies for community landowners