Three leading rural
organisations have joined forces to call for “an ambitious uplift in the area
of woodland cover in the UK” after Brexit.
The Woodland Trust,
Country Land & Business Association (CLA) and Confor: promoting forestry
and wood said increased tree planting targets should be introduced, “with clear
goals for forest cover that reflect the many benefits trees can deliver and that
address our present unacceptably low level of woodland cover”.
Woodland cover is 13
per cent in the UK, against an EU average of around 35 per cent. In England, it
is 10 per cent.
The three groups
launched the joint
statement at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, where it was
presented to Forestry Minister Dr Thérèse Coffey.
The statement,
signed by by CLA President Ross Murray, Woodland Trust Chief Executive Beccy
Speight and Confor CEO Stuart Goodall, says: “As the UK prepares to leave the
European Union in March 2019, we see a real opportunity to make positive
changes to the future of support for farming and the countryside.
“We are encouraged
by the views of Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,
Michael Gove MP, in his speech on delivering a ‘Green Brexit’ in July. In
particular we agree with him that ‘trees are not only a source of beauty and
wonder, living evidence of our investment for future generations, they are also
a carbon sink, a way to manage flood risk and a habitat for precious species'.”
The statement lists
six key points where the organisations are in agreement:
- The UK would benefit
from more forests and woods. Tree planting targets should be clearly linked to
the needs of the UK economy, helping to tackle climate change, enhancing
biodiversity and providing places for recreation.
- Support for woodland
creation and tree planting should be improved after Brexit. A new countryside
‘contract’ between farmers, landowners and society should include measures to
increase woodland cover, and see more woodland managed sustainably.
- Tree planting needs
to be environmentally and economically sustainable. Tree planting should take
into account future needs of people, business and wildlife, including the need
to mitigate flood risk and to protect and enhance existing habitats.
- Owners of existing
woodland should be rewarded for the public benefits it delivers. In any future
policy, owners who manage their woodland to the UK Forestry Standard should be
rewarded for delivering a wide range of public benefits.
- Forestry in the UK
needs to be more visible, better understood and encouraged: Forestry is a £2
billion business, supports 80,000 jobs – and has huge growth potential.
- Britain needs to use
more timber in construction.
Stuart Goodall,
Chief Executive of Confor, said: “I am very pleased to be able to launch this
statement with these prestigious organisations. There is a lot of common ground
here in terms of supporting and working with rural communities to plant more
trees and to help create economically strong and environmentally robust rural
areas.”
Beccy Speight, Chief
Executive of The Woodland Trust said: “All three organisations recognise we
need lots more trees in the UK. Planting is at a historic low and hopefully,
initiatives like this will draw greater Government attention to the need to
increase planting of all types of tree and to the benefits which follow from
that for our environment, society and economy.”
Ross Murray, CLA
President, said: “Our members recognise the value of tree planting and the
enormous contribution it makes to our rural areas. However, we need many more
trees in the ground - and a way of rewarding those who plant them to recognise
the many benefits they deliver.”
