IT WOOD BE GOOD...
WELSH GOVT TO LAUNCH YET ANOTHER TREE-PLANTING STRATEGY... AFTER LAST ONE FELL WOEFULLY SHORT OF TARGET
WALES is to have yet another woodland creation strategy as the country looks to put aside its miserable track record on tree planting.
Later this year the Welsh Government will launch a new Woodland for Wales Action Plan, overseen by a new Strategic Advisory Panel.
This will seek to deliver 43,000ha of new woodland by 2030, and 180,000ha by 2050, to meet climate change targets.
It will require planting “at least 5,000ha per year”, according to Lee Waters, the Welsh Government’s deputy minister for climate change.
Wales’s existing woodland strategy, unveiled just three years ago, targeted 2,000 ha of new woodland annually from 2020 to 2030.
Yet last year just 290ha were planted – an increase on 2019’s meagre 80ha, the lowest number for a decade.
Annual woodland creation in Wales has not exceeded 2,000ha since 1975.
Mr Waters accepted the country needs a “step change” in planting rates if it is to meet its climate targets.
“Delivering this will require an alliance for change involving many partners,” he said.
“The vast majority of new woodland will not be planted by the Welsh Government, but by the communities, farmers and other landowners across Wales.
“Our approach will involve both harnessing the enthusiasm of communities and finding solutions which work for landowners, while avoiding land most productive for farmers.”
Work will begin shortly on identifying areas for 30 new woodlands and 100 “Tiny Forests” as part of Cardiff’s National Forest programme.
There will also be a focus on building a “wood economy” in Wales – using more home-grown timber.
Currently, 80% of the timber used in the UK is imported and only 4% of harvested Welsh timber is used in construction.
A new year-round funding scheme is also planned that is “consistent with plans to transition to the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme”.
A pilot will be launched later this year, with support available for at least 500ha of future woodland plans.
Mr Waters said everyone will need to play their part. “We would like every family with a garden to plant more trees, and every school and community group to sign up to the Woodland Trust free tree scheme,” he said.
“We will also be working with public bodies to map land they own to proactively identify where more trees can be planted.”
Over an “intensive” three-week period this spring, a Trees Task Force identified some quick wins to address current barriers to tree planting.
Current guidance for landowners was found to be too “complicated” and “restrictive”, while Welsh Government funding is “too inconsistent and difficult to access”.
“It is not easy for those who want to create new woodland to navigate regulatory and funding systems,” said Mr Waters.
“While it is important to ensure that new woodland is planted in the right places and in the right way, the process for doing this is too slow and bureaucratic.”
As a result, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will be asked to speed up the approval of planting plans. This will include a new “simple” desk-based
exercise for low risk woodland plans and a focus on pre-application support for landowners.
Ways in which woodland officers can expedite the process are also being explored.
To meet tree targets, the Welsh Government accepts private sector funding will be needed.
As this risks “undesirable largescale changes in land ownership”, a working group will be set up to consider appropriate investment models.
Farms, said Mr Waters, require “hedges and edges”, such as shelterbelts, as well as entire woodlands.
Cardiff said “significant” government funding will also be required, including a long-term commitment to maintenance payments for trees. Future budgets will be clarified in the coming months.
In the short term, the £17m Glastir Woodland Creation scheme will open a new window “as soon as possible” to ensure the full budget is spent.