Agents put average plantable land values in Scotland at about the £4,000/acre mark, down from £6,000/acre at their 2021 peak.
However, they say prices remain more than double 2017 levels, are considerably above the underlying agricultural value in the uplands of northern Britain and are firm.
Easing timber values and pressure from regulation, alongside higher interest rates, are listed as factors for a steadier planting land market.
The value of hill land suitable for tree planting more than quadrupled between 2017 and 2021, according to a Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) report.
SRUC research fellow Ian Merrell says: “We have found that the initial rush into Scottish land by natural capital investors and companies has started to slow down, but land is increasing at a pace that excludes smaller players from the land market.”
