Confor has joined forces with The Woodland Trust to urge the Government to raise its ambitions and ensure tens of millions more trees are planted in England for the lifetime of this Parliament and beyond.
The new joint approach was announced on Wednesday 4 November to members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Forestry at Westminster.
Confor and The Woodland Trust are calling on the UK Government to commit to planting 7,000 hectares (ha) of woodland every year until 2020 (around 15 million trees per year) and then to increase that to 10,000 ha per year when the next Government is elected in 2020.
The two organisations argue that greatly enhanced planting can deliver on a wide range of important environmental and economic ambitions. Forestry is a low-carbon industry that can support increasing jobs and growth in the rural economy, while the new targets will also create native woods that protect and buffer England’s ancient woodlands and create new habitat networks, enhancing the countryside and the wildlife that relies on it.
Planting more trees will also help reduce the UK’s carbon emissions as trees soak up carbon and wood products store it. Carefully located tree planting can reduce flood risks and improve water quality, while accessible woodland within reach of all communities opens up a range of leisure opportunities.
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