Third Report - Tree planting

Select Committee

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee HC 356 21 March 2022

Report Status Response document linked Recorded deadline: 21 May 2022

Missing links do not establish that no response was published. A linked document does not verify responses to individual findings.

Conclusions & Recommendations 16 items (15 recs)

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Government response

First Special Report - Tree Planting: Government Response to the Committee’s Third Report of Session 2021–22 · published 20 Jun 2022

Read the government response ↗ Response on the tracker

Recommendations & Conclusions

16 results

1 Recommendation

Para 14

We welcome the UK Government’s ambition to plant 30,000 hectares of new woodland a year...

Recommendation

We welcome the UK Government’s ambition to plant 30,000 hectares of new woodland a year by 2025 in the UK. However, the Government has not set a clear target for England’s contribution, which will likely require England to treble its … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

2 Recommendation

Para 23

The Government’s planting ambition will fail to achieve its net zero, nature recovery and biodiversity...

Recommendation

The Government’s planting ambition will fail to achieve its net zero, nature recovery and biodiversity goals unless it is able to deliver the principle of planting the ‘right tree in the right place’. This requires adequate mapping data available being … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

3 Recommendation

However additional mapping information will not, in itself, help local authorities manage the potential trade-offs...

Recommendation

However additional mapping information will not, in itself, help local authorities manage the potential trade-offs between tree planting, creating and conserving other habitats and the needs of farmers and food production when developing Local Nature Recovery Strategies. We therefore recommend … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

4 Recommendation

Para 34

The financial incentives the Government is providing must make it economically viable to plant trees.

Recommendation

The financial incentives the Government is providing must make it economically viable to plant trees. The overall direction of travel is laudable, and the interim English Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) provides better incentives than previous schemes. However, getting to net … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

5 Recommendation

Para 40

Much of England’s existing woodland is under-managed and in poor condition.

Recommendation

Much of England’s existing woodland is under-managed and in poor condition. The Government’s objectives for net zero, nature recovery and biodiversity depend on existing woodland being much better managed. This will only happen if effective 40 Tree planting financial incentives … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

6 Recommendation

Para 44

The Minister told us that the £500m allocated by the Government to woodland creation and...

Recommendation

The Minister told us that the £500m allocated by the Government to woodland creation and management from 2020 to 2025 wouldn’t be enough to realise the Government ambitions, and it is not clear whether the extra funding committed in the … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

7 Recommendation

Para 56

Increasing domestic timber production and consumption can provide an additional revenue stream to support tree-planting,...

Recommendation

Increasing domestic timber production and consumption can provide an additional revenue stream to support tree-planting, whilst helping to store carbon and reduce the UK’s reliance on timber imports, which contributes to overseas deforestation. While we welcome the steps the Government … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

8 Conclusion

While strengthening the demand for domestic timber may help the UK to meet its international...

Conclusion

While strengthening the demand for domestic timber may help the UK to meet its international commitment to end and reverse deforestation caused by UK businesses by 2030, it is only a small part of the solution. While not a central … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

9 Recommendation

Para 64

Tree nursery representatives and the Forestry Commission told us that nurseries in the UK will...

Recommendation

Tree nursery representatives and the Forestry Commission told us that nurseries in the UK will struggle to expand production to deliver the number of young trees required for the Government to achieve its planting ambitions by the end of this … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

10 Recommendation

Para 66

We were given reassurances that the closure of one of two Forestry England nurseries will...

Recommendation

We were given reassurances that the closure of one of two Forestry England nurseries will not affect the overall ability of the nursery sector to produce enough trees. Given the challenges facing the sector, however, reducing the UK’s nursery capacity … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

11 Recommendation

Para 71

To meet the Government’s tree planting goals, we are going to need to import seeds...

Recommendation

To meet the Government’s tree planting goals, we are going to need to import seeds and young trees until domestic capacity increases. This carries the risks of pests and diseases being introduced. We welcome the work Defra and the Forestry … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

12 Recommendation

Para 79

The lack of a sufficiently large skilled workforce is a key barrier to England’s tree...

Recommendation

The lack of a sufficiently large skilled workforce is a key barrier to England’s tree planting ambitions. Addressing this requires a well-funded and planned workforce and skills strategy. Defra and the Forestry Commission are working to address the issue, but … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

13 Recommendation

We welcome the Government’s extension of the Seasonal Workers Pilot to the ornamental sector which...

Recommendation

We welcome the Government’s extension of the Seasonal Workers Pilot to the ornamental sector which should go some way to addressing the immediate labour shortage facing the sector. We recommend that Defra and the Home Office work with the nursery … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

14 Recommendation

Para 91

The application and approvals process for tree planting is seen as too bureaucratic by land-owning...

Recommendation

The application and approvals process for tree planting is seen as too bureaucratic by land-owning and forestry organisations. While we understand the importance of not weakening the environmental controls, there appears to be a consensus that it is possible to … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

15 Recommendation

Para 97

The current permanency rules discourage farmers and landowners from engaging with tree planting for fear...

Recommendation

The current permanency rules discourage farmers and landowners from engaging with tree planting for fear that they will never be able to change the land use back to growing crops or grazing if the new woodland does not prove viable. … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

16 Recommendation

We heard concerns that legal restrictions on many tenancies and their short-term length will prevent...

Recommendation

We heard concerns that legal restrictions on many tenancies and their short-term length will prevent many tenant farmers from engaging in tree-planting. Conversely, we also heard concerns that landowners might withdraw land from tenants to benefit from attractive tree-planting subsidies … Read more

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs