Forestry Industry Accuses Ministers of "Complete Policy Failure" in Terms of Tree Planting

An industry group blasts the government for 'woeful' tree planting rates in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The forestry industry has accused the government of a "complete policy failure" on tree planting, following new numbers that indicate it is less than halfway to meeting an annual tree-planting target set more than two years ago.

Stuart Goodall, CEO of the trade body Confor, which represents over 1,500 forestry and wood businesses throughout the UK, warned late last week that the government had "zero chance" of meeting its commitment to plant 30,000 hectares per year by the end of 2024.

His remarks follow official statistics showing that less than 14,000 hectares of trees were planted in the year to 31 March, less than half the 30,000-hectare objective set by the Prime Minister in December 2019.

Goodall said, "This is a total policy failure in both economic and environmental terms. Report after report has shown that increased tree planting and wood use is vital to meeting the UK's net-zero targets-yet this is not being translated into trees in the ground."

Goodall remarked that Scotland was responsible for about 80% of all new woodland planted in the UK over the previous year, whereas planting rates in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland were "woeful."

According to the most recent data, Scotland planted 10,480 hectares of new woodland in 2021-22, while England planted 2,260, Wales 580, and Northern Ireland 540.

Goodall asked ministers to reconsider their policy approach, suggesting that a radical shift was required if tree planting targets were to be accomplished.

He said, "There is currently zero chance of meeting planting targets unless we see decisive and immediate change. That means encouraging more productive forests to be planted, making the process to do so more straightforward - and ensuring that we grow more of the wood that our future low-carbon economy needs and avoid spiralling imports in a world where everyone wants more wood."

At the time of publication, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) had not responded to a request for comment.

However, the criticism came the same week as the government department announced a new £7.8 million fund to assist local governments in accelerating tree planting programmes.

The new Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund seeks to give financial assistance to at least 50 local governments to bring on board the professional knowledge required to undertake tree planting and woodland creation programmes.

According to the update, the Forestry Commission will deliver the fund in cooperation with Defra as part of the £750 million Nature for Climate Fund, and successful applications will be given up to £150,000 each.

Sir William Worsley, chair of the Forestry Commission, said: "By investing in tree planting and woodland creation, local authorities can play a pivotal role in addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund will help local authorities across England turn aspirations into action.

"This fund will help increase the number of trained and experienced staff and expand our nation's much-loved treescapes so everyone can benefit from the social, environmental, and economic benefits they bring."

The investment, according to the government, will help it accomplish its objective of tripling tree planting rates in England by the end of this parliament.

According to Defra's press release, the scheme will "help ensure that communities across England benefit from being close to nature, which will boost health and wellbeing, create new places for biodiversity to thrive, and contribute to wider government efforts to treble tree planting rates in England by the end of this Parliament."

However, the timber industry is concerned that, while such community-scale projects are welcome, they will be insufficient to meet national targets, expand carbon sinks and boost biodiversity, and meet growing demand from the construction industry for timber-based building materials with a lower carbon footprint than concrete and steel.

Source: Business Green

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