Forestry and Land Scotland - draft corporate strategic plan 2026-2030: consultation

3. Who we are and how we work

FLS is responsible for the stewardship of Scotland’s national forests and land on behalf of Scottish Ministers in line with the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018, other relevant legislation, regulation and policy especially Scotland’s Forestry Strategy. Our Framework Document sets out our roles and responsibilities. As a public corporation as well as an agency we are required to source most of our income from trading activities.

Our vision is “Forests and land that Scotland can be proud of.” Our mission is ‘to look after Scotland’s forests and land, for the benefit of all, now and for the future’.

Our work contributes to the Scottish public sector’s overall purpose of creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through sustainable and inclusive economic growth. In delivering our mission we create long-term social, environmental and economic benefit:

• We are the largest provider of outdoor recreation opportunities in Scotland, helping to boost the health and wellbeing of its people. Our visitor services underpin £246 M of annual value to the tourism economy with a focus in rural areas. We work with communities and neighbours to enable them to realise their ambitions for the land.
• We encourage local people and communities to make use of the national forests and land for community activities including education, recreation and environment projects and take ownership of land and buildings that will benefit their communities.
• We manage more than a third of the estate primarily for nature. We protect threatened and endangered species and habitats across the whole estate, increasing the store and value of Scotland’s natural capital.
• We capture carbon in trees and soils and produce sustainable timber products that reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint. We manage our estate to help Scotland to address the threats from a changing climate.
• We deliver a sustainable timber harvest to underpin Scotland’s £1.1 billion forestry sector. We create more opportunities for Scotland to produce renewable energy, as part of Scotland’s green economy.

Our operating principles, which apply to all our Directorates and all of our work are:

• We work holistically: integrating social, environmental and economic objectives.
• We plan for long term sustainability, for the next generations of people and trees.
• We work in partnership with communities, neighbours, stakeholders and partners in the public, private and third sectors, engaging to inform the choices we make.
• We work in a commercially astute way that enables us to become financially sustainable, and minimises our call on public funds.
• We work with suppliers and customers, developing long-term relationships to support their, and our, business development.
• We look after our people, investing in their skills and talents, promoting a safety-first culture, improving our leadership and performance management and fostering wellbeing and inclusion.