Tree Planting
(asked on 4th June 2019) - View Source
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trees they estimate were planted in each of the last six quarters for which figures are available in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland; whether this is in line with their commitment to plant 11 million trees in this Parliament; and if not, what steps they will take to meet that target.
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government remains committed to planting 11 million trees in this Parliament, 2017 to 2022. Woodland creation is a key activity of our 25 Year Environment Plan.
The Forestry Commission routinely publish statistics on planting rates as part of their Corporate Performance Indicators.
The published figures which report on new planting of woodland in England supported by the Countryside Stewardship, part of the Rural Development programme for England, are based on the area of grant claims approved for payment and are reproduced in the table below:
Period (Quarter) | Woodland Area (hectares) | Tree Numbers |
Jan - Mar 2019 | 69 | 113,000 |
Oct – Dec 2018 | 227 | 366,000 |
July - Sept 2018 | 477 | 748,000 |
April – June 2018 | 245 | 380,000 |
Jan – March 2018 | 99 | 159,000 |
Oct – Dec 2017 | 105 | 181,000 |
Government’s support for this woodland creation has predominantly been from the Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further Government support has been through the Environment Agency and National Forest Company.
In the Autumn Budget the Government announced an additional £60 million for tree planting initiatives, comprising £10 million to fund urban tree planting and £50 million for a Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme. This will add to other new planting in the pipeline, supported by the High Speed 2 Woodland Fund, the Woodland Carbon Fund and Government’s kick start investment in the Northern Forest.