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 meet its target of 16.5% tree cover by 2050.

We are making progress towards the statutory target to reach 16.5% tree and woodland cover in England by 2050. The Government has pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current and next financial year. As part of that we will create new woodland including national forests to bring communities and woodlands closer together and to create new green jobs. The Government has launched a Tree Planting Taskforce to support our plans to plant millions more trees.