[V]: My
Lords, it is encouraging to hear about the progress being made, but
we are fighting a losing battle if we continue to import saplings
rife with diseases that then kill significant numbers of trees.
Will the Minister update your Lordships’ House on the tree health
resilience strategy and what other steps Her Majesty’s Government
are taking to increase biosecurity?
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development
Office () (Con) [V]: Biosecurity is
enormously important, not least because we are an island nation.
We announced a £2 million partnership investment, which I
mentioned earlier, alongside the Scottish and Welsh Governments.
The Government support the Grown in Britain agenda and the
Woodland Trust’s UK sourced and grown assurance
scheme. Any initiatives which increase domestic production and
grow more trees and plants in this country are welcome and will
merit government support. In addition, for exactly the same
reason, we are taking steps to increase demand for domestically
grown timber. Demand massively exceeds supply in this country: we
import 81% of the timber and wood products that we need, while
only about 23% of homes in England are currently built with
timber frames, compared to 83% in Scotland. We want to reverse
that ratio as much as we possibly can to stimulate demand and the
sector, while encouraging more tree-planting.
(Con): My
Lords, while I appreciate my noble friend’s personal commitment,
does he share my concern at the disappearance of ancient
woodlands which will be consequent upon the building of HS2? Does
he also guarantee that the new, threatened changes to planning
law will ensure that development is concentrated on brownfield
sites and not on places where trees could be planted, and that
trees will be planted around new developments anyhow?
(Con) [V]: The Government are
committed to protecting our ancient woodlands. Two years ago, in
2018, we strengthened the protection of ancient woodlands,
ancient trees and veteran trees through the then National
Planning Policy Framework. That framework also recognises the
importance of community forests. Last year, we set aside and
announced £210,000 to support the Woodland Trust
and Natural England’s work to update the ancient woodland
inventory, which we will need to protect that habitat. So far, £7
million has been committed to the HS2 woodland fund, supporting
projects to restore, enhance and extend ancient woodland on
private land or in partnership with multiple landowners. We have
ramped up protection; that is also reflected in the Environment
Bill, which will come to this House in a few months’ time.
(LD) [V]: My Lords, the Woodland
Trust estimates that there are at least 20 non-native
pests and diseases affecting native UK trees, six of which it
says have reached epidemic levels, and a further 11 diseases that
have not yet reached the UK. Can the Minister reassure the House
that the Government have a robust strategy for ensuring that
these diseases do not reach our shores and decimate our native
trees?
(Con) [V]: This is a priority area
for Defra, a department that I belong to. Yes, we are seeing
increasing numbers of threats to our native trees. The whole
country is aware of ash dieback and we expect a very large number
of our ash trees to be infected and die. The good news is that
they will not all die; we expect up to 5% of those trees to have
a natural tolerance, so the UK Government are funding research
into future breeding programmes for tolerant trees. We are also
conducting the world’s largest screening trials and will plant
the first of the tolerant trees this year. That is just part of
our biosecurity focus in Defra and our plans to stave off the
threat of tree diseases from this country.
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