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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extreme heat and consecutive drought on tree planting and established woodland.

Forest Research (FR) has assessed that extreme heat and drought can reduce tree growth and increase tree mortality. Consecutive droughts may have cumulative impacts. Tree mortality will be recorded through the field work associated with FR’s National Forest Inventory; however, it will be challenging to attribute mortality to weather conditions in a particular year.

Newly planted trees are particularly vulnerable during establishment, while established woodland may become more susceptible to pests, diseases, wildfire and windthrow. FR continues to assess these risks and promote adaptation measures, including resilient species selection and greater species diversity.