EFRA Select Committee to
explore how meeting tree-planting objectives can benefit the
economy, biodiversity and human wellbeing
Planting more trees is widely
accepted to be one of the quickest, most effective methods to
offset greenhouse gas emissions. In January, the Committee on
Climate Change recommended increasing UK forestry cover to 17% by 2050- an
increase of two-fifths of the land area currently covered by
trees. But in light of previously missed targets, MPs today
launch an inquiry to investigate whether the Government will be
able to meet its new goal of increasing tree planting to 30,000
hectares a year by 2025.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select
Committee's new inquiry, Tree Planting and Woodlands,
will therefore scrutinise whether the Government’s targets are
realistic, whilst still being ambitious enough, and whether it
has the right strategy to deliver them.
The inquiry will look beyond the
question of how many trees need to be planted, examining whether
the right trees will be planted in the right places. It will also
consider whether enough is being done to protect and enhance
existing woodlands, alongside creating new
ones.The inquiry will also
focus on how the Government’s forthcoming Tree Strategy for
England will balance the different opportunities that expanding
woodland coverage will present for nature and the environment,
health and wellbeing, and the economy. It will also consider the
impact on other land uses such as food production, other natural
habitats and the landscape.
Chair of the EFRA Committee,
, said:
“Planting trees is seen as an easy win in the fight against
climate-warming greenhouse gases- but we need to do it in the
right way to make sure we maximise the benefits. The Government
has rightly set ambitious targets, so it’s vital to make sure it
has learnt lessons from past promises that haven’t been met.
"The past year has taught us the
importance of outdoor spaces which we can all enjoy, so we must
make sure new and existing woodlands benefit communities and
improve our mental and physical health. It is essential that, in
scrabbling to meet targets, the Government's tree-planting
strategy is not a blunt tool. Rather, this needs to be a plan
which factors in the many ways in which increased tree-planting
can bring economic growth, benefit nature and improve human
wellbeing."
The Committee is seeking written
evidence on the following questions, with an initial deadline of
19 November:
1.Are the UK Government’s targets
for increasing forestry coverage, and tree planting, for England
and the UK sufficiently ambitious and realistic?
2.Are the right structures in place
to ensure that the UK wide target for increasing forestry
coverage is delivered?
a.How effective is the co-ordination
between the four nations on forestry issues, including
biosecurity, plant health and other cross-border issues?
3.Why were previous ambitions for
increasing tree planting in England not met and what lessons
should be learned?
4.In relation to increasing tree
planting in England, what should the Government be trying to
achieve? For example, how should the following policy objectives
be prioritised?
·Mitigating or adapting
to climate change;
·Promoting biodiversity
and nature recovery;
·Increasing biosecurity
and plant health;
·Improving human
well-being and health;
·Protecting natural and
cultural heritage;
·Food security;
·Creating commercial
opportunities from forestry, tourism and recreation; and
·Any other
priorities?
5.Are the right policies and funding
in place to appropriately protect and manage existing woodlands
in England? How will prospective changes to policy and
legislation effect this?
