Section 8A Sustainable forest management: further provisionF1

(1)

The Scottish Ministers may by regulations make further provision in connection with sustainable forest management (including the implementation of the forestry strategy).

(2)

Regulations under this section may, in particular—

(a)

require specified persons to comply with specified requirements of the UK Forestry Standard,

(b)

provide for the issuing of a remedial notice under section 54(1) in respect of a failure to comply with such a specified requirement,

(c)

make provision about circumstances in which the specified requirements do not apply.

(3)

Before making regulations under this section, the Scottish Ministers must consult—

(a)

persons that they consider are representative of the forestry sector in Scotland, and

(b)

such other persons as they consider appropriate.

(4)

In the event that there is a new edition of the UK Forestry Standard endorsed by the Scottish Ministers, the Scottish Ministers must—

(a)

review any regulations made under this section, and

(b)

if appropriate, lay a draft of a Scottish statutory instrument containing regulations updating the regulations before Parliament.

(5)

For the purpose of this section—

(a)

“the UK Forestry Standard” means—

(i)

the fifth edition of the technical standard for sustainable forest management, published in 2023 and endorsed by the Scottish Ministers,

(ii)

the most recently published subsequent edition of such standard which is endorsed by the Scottish Ministers, or

(iii)

in the event of there being no published UK Forestry Standard which is endorsed by the Scottish Ministers, such other document as the Scottish Ministers consider most similar to the UK Forestry Standard,

(b)

“specified” means specified in the regulations.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1: S. 8A and cross-heading inserted (26.10.2026) by Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 (asp 6), ss. 52(2), 59(2); S.S.I. 2026/275, reg. 2(z7)