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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to adapt its policy on forestry in the event of a two degrees Celsuis of warming.

We understand that climate change is a significant challenge facing our woodlands and are taking steps to improve the resilience of trees and woodlands, as set out in the England Trees Action Plan.

A Woodland Resilience Implementation Plan is being developed to improve the ecological condition of our woodlands and increase their resilience to climate change, pests and diseases. We will also support the Forestry and Climate Change Working Group in implementing its adaptation plan, including launching a climate change competition to highlight best practice and the need to adapt new and existing woodlands to the effects of climate change.

Most of our native species have a large geographic range covering much of Europe, so should be able to cope with a changing climate. There is a high level of genetic diversity within our native woodlands, supporting evolutionary adaptation processes and we are advising woodland managers to think hard about the current and future climates and woodland resilience when planting and managing woodland. We have provided: Ecological Site Classification; a climate matching tool to help woodland managers with planning resilient woodlands; and Forest Research will shortly publish a new UK Forestry Standard Practice Guide on adapting forest and woodland management for the changing climate.