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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how long will it take for planted trees to have a benefit on the environment.

There are immediate environmental benefits from planting trees for new woodland creation; these increase over time and as the woodland develops and matures.

For example, the change of land use means that some public benefits such as water quality improvement are achieved immediately. Within the first 5 years benefits to soil infiltration (for flood risk management) and biodiversity can be seen, with different species benefiting as the woodland becomes established. Carbon sequestration, the contribution of evapotranspiration to flood risk management and landscape enhancement generally give greatest benefit to the environment at canopy closure and beyond, 10-25 years after planting.