Confor chief adds voice to 'ending stigma around conifers' bid

Stuart Goodall followed his Forestry Commission counterparts in saying it shouldn't be a case of broadleaf good, coniferous species – such as Sitka spruce – bad. 

Echoing remarks made by Richard Stanford last month, the trade body leader said the biodiversity benefits of conifers had been overlooked for too long, and must be taken into account when planning the UK's woodlands of the future. 

READ MORE: Forestry Commission chief executive calls for end to 'dogma around conifers'

“Too many discussions around the future of UK woodlands have pitted native broadleaf species against productive species as competing alternatives,” Stuart said. “We need a properly balanced, progressive and ecologically considered forestry solution which protects and improves the UK’s biodiversity and meets the country’s need for wood production.

Stuart Goodall

"It should no longer be a case of 'broadleaf trees good' and 'productive species bad'." 

A report by Confor presents evidence that coniferous species, which are planted for productive forestry, can be an important component of conservation management in a wide range of woodland types.

Scotland was the only one of the four UK nations to plant more conifers than broadleaf species during the last annual planting period (Image: FJ)

Well-managed conifer forests with plenty of light and structure provide habitats for a wide range of mammals such as pine martens and red squirrels, raptors and other birds, bats, reptiles, insects, mosses, lichens and fungi. At the last count, Scottish conifer forests were home to 42 species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threatened animal Red List.

Importantly, conifers also play a pivotal role in protecting native broadleaf trees by reducing the pressure to harvest them.

Over recent decades, the decline in broadleaf woodland management is largely responsible for the deterioration in its value as a habitat. Soils have degraded to make them less fertile, less healthy, and less able to store carbon. But conifers thrive on this thin soil and are proven to grow better than their broadleaved cousins, making the planting conifers one of the best methods for improving soil quality.

Speaking at a Confor-led event last month, Richard told guests: "We must end the dogma of native broadleaf good, conifer bad.

"Well-managed conifer forests with plenty of light and structure can support a wide range of wildlife, including woodland birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, plants and fungi. Mature conifers provide roosting holes for bats, nest sites for kites, goshawk and pine martens and seeds for red squirrels, siskins and crossbills." 

Due to the climate emergency, Confor has previously called for a 50-50 split between broadleaf and conifer planting - estimating that if 18,000 hectares were planted every year, by 2030 these trees would sequester 2.04 MtCO2e, of which over 1.7 MtCO2e stored by conifers alone. Such an equitable species split would also deliver the benefits a more diversified mix of productive and broadleaf trees, including improving and protecting biodiversity and wildlife habitats.