Trees, including the imported species, help to combat climate change by soaking up harmful CO2 emissions - however, environmental campaigners question the type of trees being planted and their proximity to native woodland.
Audrey Baird from Rhu, Argyll and Bute, is among a group of campaigners who have lodged a petition with the Scottish parliament calling for the legal protection of native woodland.
He said:"Ancient woodland doesn't necessarily mean old trees, it means trees being there for a long time - established, robust communities of plants and animals that will continue to flourish if we allow them to do so. Scotland's 19% of forest and woodland coverage compares with 15% in Wales, 10% in England and 9% in Northern Ireland. The figures are beneath the average figure in European Union countries of 38%.
"There is no evidence to suggest that ancient woodlands are being lost to non-native tree regeneration in the way described. The current, principal threat to our ancient woodlands is from selective browsing by deer, which tend to prefer broadleaves. Stuart Goodall, chief executive of CONFOR , the membership organisation for forestry businesses, said:"We're all concerned about ancient woodland, we all think it's incredible and very precious. At the same time, we need other types of forest to provide the wood products that we require for our everyday use.
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