Conclusions and recommendations
Woodland planting and management
1.We will hold the Government to account for delivery of the target to plant 11 million trees by 2020 and to do its part to contribute towards the 2060 ambition. (Paragraph 16)
2.We recommend that the Forestry Commission should release clear and easily accessible information on woodland creation and woodland cover in England every six months. (Paragraph 16)
3.We are not convinced that the Government will do its part to contribute towards the ambition for England to have 12% woodland cover by 2060. While we agree with our witnesses that the 2060 ambition, at just a third of the EU average, is the right one, the Government needs to put the correct processes in place to ensure that this ambition is a reality for this Government and future Governments. (Paragraph 17)
4.In response to this Report the Government should clarify whether it remains committed to the current 2060 ambition and how it will bring about the step change needed in planting to meet this ambition, including setting woodland creation targets for five-year intervals until 2060. (Paragraph 17)
5.We will continue to monitor Government progress against the 2018 target for woodland in active management. (Paragraph 22)
6.We recommend that the Forestry Commission should include information on the amount of woodland in management in its summary facts and figures document that it releases already. (Paragraph 22)
7.We acknowledge that the Government can only do so much to encourage landowners to manage their forests and woodland. Good relations and communications with the sector will be needed to help the Government meet its 2018 target. Public perception also needs to be managed to highlight the benefits in some forests and woodland of cutting down trees which have reached the end of their natural lifespan. (Paragraph 23)
8.The Government should consult land management and forestry organisations on how it can encourage landowners to bring their woodland into management. (Paragraph 23)
The grant schemes for forestry
9.In future inquiries we may more closely scrutinise the success of other forestry grant schemes, such as the Woodland Creation Planning Grant and the Woodland Carbon Fund. (Paragraph 26)
10.Appropriate and well-functioning grant schemes are essential to increasing woodland creation. We welcome the Minister undertaking to further review the operation of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme around the end of March. (Paragraph 33)
11.We look forward to receiving the findings of her review by 1 July 2017. (Paragraph 33)
12.The evidence we have received highlights how the present system for administering CSS is not fit for purpose. Previous experience illustrates that a one-stop shop for grants will provide a smoother and less bureaucratic service for CSS customers. We are unconvinced by the Minister’s arguments that it is not possible to return to a one-stop shop for grants. (Paragraph 34)
13.We recommend that the Government take steps now so that it is able to reinstate a one-stop shop for forestry grants on day one of the UK’s exit from the EU. (Paragraph 34)
14.We recommend that in any grant schemes introduced by the Government after the UK leaves the European Union the dual benefits of agriculture and forestry should be recognised by having a single grant scheme to support both sectors. (Paragraph 38)
A long-term strategy for forestry
15.We encourage those in the forestry sector to approach the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Life Opportunities as early as possible with any concerns, opportunities and thoughts they have on the forestry sector when the UK leaves the European Union. (Paragraph 42)
16.We were disappointed that the Minister had not raised in detail the issue of forestry with her governmental colleagues, especially during discussions on the Government’s industrial strategy and the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. We were disappointed at the apparent lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Minister to lobby for the sector’s interests across Government. (Paragraph 43)
17.We recommend that the Minister holds detailed discussions with relevant Ministers in BEIS on the role of the forestry sector in the Government’s industrial strategy, including resourcing the sector and increasing the number of apprenticeships within the forestry industry. (Paragraph 43)
Getting the most out of forests and woodland
18.We are concerned that the availability of softwood is projected to fall after the period 2027–2031. We are especially concerned as softwood has many uses, including being a suitable resource for building more houses. Previous incentives have not been favourable to softwoods. We welcome the introduction recently of grant schemes which have been more favourable to softwoods such as the Woodland Creation Planning Grant and the Woodland Carbon Fund, which also has a consequential benefit of carbon sequestration. (Paragraph 53)
19.We recommend that the Government continues with the Woodland Creation Planning Grant and the Woodland Carbon Fund to incentivise further softwood planting. We further recommend that the Government introduce additional incentives to encourage 50:50 mixed planting of softwoods and hardwoods. (Paragraph 53)
20.We note the many economic, environmental and social benefits of using timber from UK forests and woodland to build houses. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Life Opportunities must be more proactive in advocating the needs of the forestry sector with regard to using UK timber for housebuilding. (Paragraph 58)
21.We recommend that Defra should work with the Department for Communities and Local Government to incorporate a UK timber-first approach into English housing procurement policy. (Paragraph 58)
22.It would be possible for the Government to meet its target for increasing the amount of woodland in management by 2018 through the appropriate use of biomass incentives. (Paragraph 63)
23.The Government should review the working of the Renewable Heat Incentive in these terms and look to implement any improvements to its operation. (Paragraph 63)
Protecting forests and woodland
24.We are concerned about the rate at which irreplaceable ancient woodland appears to be disappearing. (Paragraph 67)
25.We recommend that Defra, the Forestry Commission and organisations, such as the Woodland Trust, meet by 1 June 2017 to discuss measurement of the loss of ancient woodland and steps that should be taken to prevent, and better record, its loss. Further, Defra should write to us with an update on the outcome of this meeting by 30 June 2017. (Paragraph 67)
26.We support the proposals in the Government’s Housing White Paper to clarify the protections which apply to ancient woodland in the National Planning Policy Framework. (Paragraph 73)
27.We recommend that the Government implement this proposal. (Paragraph 73)
28.We recommend that the Government instruct Natural England and the Forestry Commission to maintain an up-to-date, readily available public register of ancient and veteran trees and an inventory of ancient woodland annually. Further, we recommend that loss of ancient woodland and trees, regardless of its size, should be recorded in the register and inventory. (Paragraph 74)
29.Dissemination of forestry research to foresters is vital to improve resilience to, and management of, tree disease. Many in the sector do not feel able to easily access the outcomes of research. (Paragraph 80)
30.We recommend that the Government explores with the forestry sector how best the private sector can influence the subjects of research and receive updates on research outcomes. (Paragraph 80)
31.Leaving the European Union might result in significant funding for tree pest and disease research being lost. Forestry research in England is already underfunded. Any further reduction in research funding could leave England ill-prepared for future pest and disease outbreaks. (Paragraph 84)
32.The Government must provide certainty by the conclusion of Article 50 negotiations on how it will fill the gap in forestry research funding for organisations such as Forest Research after the UK leaves the European Union, where practicable this could involve greater co-operation with the private sector. (Paragraph 84)
17 March 2017