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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if a Special Representative for important trees will be appointed to champion them at a political level, as recommended in the Government-sponsored Tree Council report, published in 2025.

The Defra-funded report led by the Tree Council and Forest Research provides a range of recommendations for improving the protection and stewardship of ‘important’ trees. The Government is carefully considering its recommendations, including their feasibility and potential impacts, balancing our approach with our existing priorities and statutory obligations. We will set out actions to protect important trees in the new Trees Action Plan which will be published this year.