Woodland creation - a new policy is needed

I’d argue that our woodlands are the glue that hold the countryside together. But over the last century, the industrial revolution and technological advancements have meant our woodland resource and the habitats it supports have declined, and according to the Woodland Trust the amount of new planting in the UK is now at its lowest in decades, see their graph below.

But now with climate change high on the political agenda, woodland’s potential to sequestrate carbon and provide timber for material substitution and renewable energy is being recognised. The Read Report published in 2009 stated that, “by planting c.23,000ha per year over the next 40 years the UK could, by the 2050s, be locking up on an annual basis… 10% of our total greenhouse gas emissions”.

At the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), we have a vision for the forests and woodland of England and Wales. We want to see more woodland created, and for trees to be valued not only for their environmental roles in the landscape, biodiversity, and water and carbon management, but also for their products and the contribution these make to employment, business income and the wider economy.

But how do we turn this vision into a reality? It will require a change in our approach to managing woodland and changes in policy. The importance of forests is rightly recognised in international policy but it is important that domestic forest policy does not become bogged down in the bureaucracy of international politics. Woodland management is about practical actions and it is this practical action that is required to deliver the vision for the future.

For a start, Government needs to recognise that that growing trees is a commercial land use and needs to be financially viable. It must put in place genuine mechanisms that deliver both public and private funding and place a real value upon the non-market ecosystem services that forestry and woodland deliver for the public benefit. We believe the following changes could make a difference:

Creating a carbon market: Trees could play in mitigating climate change and promote and support tree planting and effective woodland management as legitimate ways of carbon offsetting. It must place a market value on carbon and allow woodland owner to access that market.

Making woodland financially viable: There is already a decline in skilled staff in forestry and a lack of job opportunities. And if woodland is under-managed, it can make no financial return to its owners, conservation work cannot take place, and climate change mitigation will be held back. Government needs to understand and reverse this spiral of decline.

Reviewing regulation: Regulations governing forestry and woodland management are geared up to curbing excessive cutting and deforestation. Yet the greatest threat to woodland and its biodiversity is a lack of thinning and productive management.

Managing deer: Government needs to recognise the impact that wild deer are having upon both our woodland and the wider countryside. In much of England wild deer populations are so high, that woodland plants, including trees are unable to regenerate without deer fencing. This means that the biodiversity value of our woodlands is significantly impoverished and their product potential severely damaged. Without effective deer management the vision for our woodlands will not be realized so it is essential that government commits real and sufficient resources to this important task.

If we can get these practical actions right, perhaps we can reverse the trend in woodland creation and get England and Wales planting trees again.

Mike Seville is Forestry and Woodlands Adviser at the Country Land and Business Association (CLA). You can contact him on mike.seville@cla.org.uk

• Find out more about the CLA’s work on forestry and woodland
• Read the Farming Futures factsheet on forestry
• See the Read Report for an in-depth look at the state and potential of forestry in the UK