Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to deliver world-leading legislation giving Scotland's remaining fragments of ancient, native and semi-native woodlands and woodland floors full legal protection before COP 26 (UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties) in Glasgow in November 2021.
Petitioner: Audrey Baird and Fiona Baker on behalf of Help Trees Help Us
Status: Under consideration
Date published: 05 August 2020
Click here for the full petition
Letter from the Convener to Minister for Environment and Land Reform (187.7KB, pdf) (188KB, pdf) posted 16 December 2022
17 September 2020: The Committee agreed to write to NatureScot, Strategic Development Planning Authorities and Scottish Land and Estates.
Official Report of Meeting 17 September 2020
13 January 2021: The Committee agreed to defer consideration of the petition to its next meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 13 January 2021
27 January 2021: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government.
Official Report of Meeting 27 January 2021
10 March 2021: The Committee agreed to continue this petition and include it in its legacy paper for its successor Committee,along with a suggestion to seek an update from the Scottish Government on its response to the independent Deer Working Group, any progress that has been made to develop its new biodiversity strategy and further information on any legislation it intends to bring forward relevant to the issues raised by the petition.
Official Report of Meeting 10 March 2021
8 September 2021: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government.
Official Report of Meeting 8 September 2021
2 February 2022: The Committee agreed to invite the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, the Petitioners, the Forestry Commission and the RSPB to give evidence.
Official Report of Meeting 2 February 2022
9 March 2022: The Committee took evidence from petitioners Audrey Baird and Fiona Baker, and then proceeded to a roundtable discussion with Claudia Rowse - NatureScot, Arina Russell - Woodland Trust Scotland, Doug Howieson - Scottish Forestry, Andy Leitch - Confor and Andrew Weatherall – RSPB. The Committee agreed to consider the evidence heard on this petition at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 9 March 2022
23 March 2022: The Committee took evidence from Máiri McAllan, Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform and Doug Howieson, Scottish Forestry. The Committee agreed to consider the evidence heard on this petition at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 23 March 2022
4 May 2022: The Committee agreed to undertake a visit to an ancient and/or native woodland to explore the issues raised in this petition. It also agreed to write to the Scottish Local Authorities and Scottish Forrestry.
Official Report of Meeting 4 May 2022
9 November 2022: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government, the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee and the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee.
Official Report of Meeting 9 November 2022
28 June 2023: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government.
Official Report of Meeting 28 June 2023
17 April 2024: Fergus Ewing declared and interest as the convenor of the Cross-Party Group on Wood Panel Industry. The Committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, and the Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor). It also agreed to add the petition to the shortlist of possible subjects for the Committee to request a parliamentary debate on.
Official Report of Meeting 17 April 2024
PE1812/T: Woodland Trust submission of 31st August 2021
PE1812/U: Petitioner submission of 31 August 2021
PE1812/V: Help Trees Help Us submission of 27 January 2022
PE1812/W: Petitioner submission of 4 February 2022
PE1812/X: Scottish Government submission dated 21 February 2022
PE1812/Y: Help Trees Help Us submission of 2 March 2022
PE1812/Z: Communities for Diverse Forestry submission 2 March 2022
PE1812/AA: RSPB submission of 2 March 2022
PE1812/BB: Moray Council submission of 24 May 2022 (178.7KB, pdf) (179KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/CC: Aberdeen City Council submission of 31 May 2022 (189.9KB, pdf) (190KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/DD: Aberdeenshire Council submission of 6 June 2022 (169.1KB, pdf) (169KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/EE: Shetlands Islands Council submission of 6 June 2022 (155.4KB, pdf) (155KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/FF:South Lanarkshire Council submission of 8 June 2022 (164.5KB, pdf) (164KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/GG: Perth and Kinross Council submission of 8 June 2022 (167.6KB, pdf) (168KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/HH: Fife Council submission of 8 June 2022 (157.4KB, pdf) (157KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/II: East Ayrshire Council submission of 8 June 2022 (181KB, pdf) (181KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/JJ: Dumfries and Galloway Council submission of 17 June 2022 (185.7KB, pdf) (186KB, pdf) posted 01 July 2022
PE1812/KK: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar submission of 19 July 2022 (113.5KB, pdf) (114KB, pdf) posted 20 July 2022
PE1812/MM:Midlothian Council submission of 20 July 2022 (136.9KB, pdf) (137KB, pdf) posted 01 August 2022
PE1812/NN: Orkney Islands Council submission of 21 July 2022 (153.7KB, pdf) (154KB, pdf) posted 01 August 2022
PE1812/OO: Stirling Council submission of 25 July 2022 (188.7KB, pdf) (189KB, pdf) posted 01 August 2022
PE1812/PP: South Ayrshire Council submission of 25 July 2022 (168.7KB, pdf) (169KB, pdf) posted 01 August 2022
PE1812/QQ: East Dunbartonshire Council submission of 26 July 2022 (193.4KB, pdf) (193KB, pdf) posted 01 August 2022
PE1812/RR: Scottish Forestry submission of 27 July 2022 (167.2KB, pdf) (167KB, pdf) posted 01 August 2022
PE1812/SS: North Ayrshire Council submission of 27 July 2022 (107.8KB, pdf) (108KB, pdf) posted 11 August 2022
PE1812/TT: East Lothian Council submission of 1 August 2022 (108.6KB, pdf) (109KB, pdf) posted 11 August 2022
PE1812/UU: Argyll and Bute Council submission of 3 August 2022 (125KB, pdf) (125KB, pdf) posted 11 August 2022
PE1812/WW: Highland Council submission of 9 August 2022 (162.9KB, pdf) (163KB, pdf) posted 11 August 2022
PE1812/XX: West Lothian Council submission of 12 August 2022 (140.7KB, pdf) (141KB, pdf) posted 18 August 2022
PE1812/YY: Renfrewshire Council submission of 12 August 2022 (107.6KB, pdf) (108KB, pdf) posted 18 August 2022
PE1812/ZZ: City of Edinburgh Council submission of 5 October 2022 (134.4KB, pdf) (134KB, pdf) posted 28 October 2022
PE1812/AAA: Petitioner submission of 13 October 2022 (79.6KB, pdf) (80KB, pdf) posted 28 October 2022
PE1812/BBB: Glasgow City Council submission of 7 November 2022 (209.4KB, pdf) (209KB, pdf) posted 07 November 2022
PE1812/CCC: Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands submission of 1 June 2023 (107KB, pdf) (107KB, pdf) posted 01 June 2023
PE1812/DDD: Petitioner submission of 14 June 2023 (215KB, pdf) (215KB, pdf) posted 20 June 2023
PE1812/EEE: Petitioner submission of 18 July 2023 (184KB, pdf) (184KB, pdf) posted 28 August 2023
PE1812/FFF: Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands submission of 18 August 2023 (153KB, pdf) (153KB, pdf) posted 04 September 2023
PE1812/GGG: Petitioner submission of 16 October 2023 (150KB, pdf) posted 23 October 2023
PE1812/HHH: Petitioner submission, 30 March 2024 (91KB, pdf) posted 19 April 2024
PE1812/III: Minister for Climate Action written submission, 31 May 2024 (94KB, pdf) posted 03 June 2024
PE1812/JJJ: Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor) written submission, 10 July 2024 (19KB, pdf) posted 17 July 2024
PE1812/KKK: Petitioner written submission, 13 August 2024 (72KB, pdf) posted 27 August 2024
Read any written submissions received before May 2021 on our old site