England is ‘highly likely’ to be suffering from deforestation
THE COUNTRY is “highly likely” to be suffering from deforestation, campaigners warned after new figures revealed low levels of new woodlands being planted.
Only 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of woods were planted in England last year, well below targets to increase woodland in the country, figures show.
It is above the lows seen in the previous two years, with new planting falling to as low as 800 hectares (2,000 acres) in England in 2016, the data from the Forestry Commission reveals.
But campaigners warned the figure was far below the 5,000 hectares a year needed to increase England’s woodland cover to 12 per cent by 2060, an ambition set out by the Government in the wake of the failed public forest sell-off.
Poor planting rates, woodland losses and weak protection of ancient woods means that England is likely to be experiencing net deforestation, with areas felled or destroyed and not replanted, the Woodland Trust warned. Woodlands cover just 10 per cent of England, but they are important strongholds for native broadleaf trees which are rich in wildlife.
Since the plans to increase cover were announced six years ago, less than half the necessary level of woodland planting has been achieved.
John Tucker, director of woodland creation, Woodland Trust, said: “These figures are all the more shocking considering the growing evidence of the importance of trees and woods in tackling air pollution, improving water quality and offering scope to deliver natural flood management, not to mention what they offer for wildlife and their productive potential for the rural economy.”