OFFICIALS have reacted with a mixture of pride and disappointment after the UK's tree-planting rates slumped to their lowest levels in five years – but rose in England and Wales.
Just 12,960 hectares of woodland were created in the 12 months prior to the end of March 2023, around 1,000 ha fewer than the previous year and the first time the figure has fallen below 13,000 ha since the 2017/18 planting season.
The new total is not much more than a third of the UK government's annual goal of 30,000 ha per year by the end of 2025.
READ MORE: Tree-planting rates fall to lowest levels in five years amid Scotland slump
Scotland came out on top of the country's four nations, but its performance was strikingly poorer than previous years. It saw rates hit just 8,190 ha, well short of the 10,480 ha recorded last year. It is the first time figures have fallen below 10,000 ha north of the border in half a decade.
According to the Forest Research document, England created 3,130 ha of new woodland (a rise of nearly 1,000 ha), Wales 1,190 ha (around double on last year's total) and Northern Ireland 451 ha (a fall of around 100 ha).
But how does each of the UK's four nations fare compared to their individual targets and what has been the response to the Forest Research report? We've brought it all together in our handy guide.
England
Long deemed a lost cause by figures within the industry, England's latest planting rates will provide some optimism for ministers. Rising by nearly 1,000 ha to their highest level in nearly a decade, they still fell well short of the country's 7,500 ha goal but have been welcomed by the country's Forestry Minister.
Commenting on the statistics, Trudy Harrison said: "Since the start of this parliament, we have planted or supported the planting of over 10.8 million trees.
"Increasing tree cover is at the heart our pledge to leave the environment in a better condition than when we inherited it, which is why we are investing £650m in transforming England’s treescapes.
“Tree planting rates have risen to 3,600 hectares and now are at record levels*, but we know there is much more to do and will continue work with partners at pace to increase the nation’s tree cover and boost the forestry sector - creating new jobs, supporting innovative new technologies and training the next generation of foresters."
*It is not clear what record level Ms Harrison is referring to, but Forestry Journal has asked Defra for clarity.
Scotland
Scotland's performance was a significant factor in the UK's overall planting rate falling.
While it still accounted for 60 per cent of all woodland creation across the UK, its performance has been called "unacceptable" by the country's Forestry Secretary.
Mairi Gougeon, who will chair an emergency forestry summit in the wake of the new statistics, said: “Scotland has the most ambitious woodland creation targets in the UK and despite the challenges of Brexit, Covid and vicious winter storms, landowners have created around 51,000 hectares of new woodland in the past five years – around 102 million trees.
“This is a tremendous achievement and I know so many organisations and Scottish Forestry have worked flat out to make this happen.
"It is clear that although Scotland is performing way better than the rest of the UK, our planting rates are not meeting our ambitious targets.
"Action is needed and both the private and public sector must collectively step up and improve its output.
“We need to dramatically increase the level of woodland creation approvals and improve on the quality of applications being submitted as quite frankly the current status is not acceptable."
Wales
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “In order to reach our net-zero ambitions, we have an ambitious target to plant 43,000 hectares of new woodland by 2030, with the vast majority planted by communities, farmers and other landowners across Wales.
“The statistics on tree planting published today show our tree planting for the past year is twice that of the year before. This is the start of a long term programme of tree planting which will see us reach our targets.”
Northern Ireland
A spokesperson for DAERA said: “Forest Service can confirm that 451 hectares of new woodlands were planted in 2022/23 and 540 hectares in 2021/22.
"It is encouraging to note, under the Forests for Our Future programme, an increased level of landowner interest in afforestation from the previous five year period, which averaged around 250 hectares annually.
"Forest Service and the Department are committed to further increase the annual rate of planting in line with the Climate Change Committee recommendations."
The spokesperson added: "We have established a stakeholder group to help address reasons that lead to a number of proposed planting projects failing to meet environmental and grant scheme requirements, or successful applications not being progressed by landowners.
"The Department has also commenced work on developing new grant schemes, for 2024 and beyond, aimed at attracting increased landowner interest in establishing woodlands.”
Industry reaction
Stuart Goodall, chief executive of forestry and wood trade body Confor, said: "The 30,000-hectares target is a manifesto commitment, but we’re not making the progress required towards meeting it.
"It’s vital that we seize the day by going further and faster - to produce the timber we need in this country and avoid an ever-increasing reliance on imports. The UK currently imports 81 per cent of its wood products at a cost of more than £11 billion, according to latest figures.
“This increasing ‘timber insecurity’ is bad for the UK’s economy and bad for the environment. We can, and must, do better.”
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