English Nature’s Ancient Woodland Inventory has proved a very useful tool for promoting nature conservation by influencing policy, planning and management of these special sites. This document summarised the range of inventory products available in 1999, and goes on to look at new developments which will expand the uses to which the inventory data could be put. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow the comparison and analysis of different spatial data sets. To make the ancient woodland boundaries available for use on a GIS, they have been digitised. This project has been developed through joint working between English Nature and the Forestry Commission, with the help of local authorities. This document outlines the methods used to digitise the (approximately) 22,000 boundaries of ancient woodland in England. The potential benefits and limitations of the digital boundaries are discussed.
A printed copy of this old English Nature report is available from our Enquiry Service. Tel: 0845 600 3078 Email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk