Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available to communities to respond to treefall as a result of extreme weather.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Forestry Commission works closely with the forestry sector and environmental organisations to provide guidance on storm recovery operations for both public and private woodland owners following extreme weather.

The Forestry Commission provides support through Incident Management and Contingency Planning, helping to coordinate response, issue warnings, and share information to the forestry sector and communities. This work is carried out in partnership with Lead Government Departments and emergency responders.

Forestry Commission guidance states that a felling licence is not required to clear windblown (uprooted, snapped or no longer growing) or dangerous trees. Where felling licence applications relate directly to managing standing trees that present public safety risks, the Forestry Commission may expedite processing by excluding publishing on the public consultation register where there is an overriding public safety benefit.

During recovery, restocking woodlands provides an opportunity to increase resilience to future extreme weather and climate change, including adjusting woodland design and tree species choices to improve long‑term stability.