Environment Bill

Written evidence submitted by the Woodland Trust (EB57)

House of Commons Public Bill Committee on the Environment Bill 2019-21

Executive Summary

1. The Woodland Trust supports the joint submission from Greener UK and Wildlife and Countryside Link on the Environment Bill 2019-21.

2. In addition, the Woodland Trust notes there is currently no formal mechanism to set targets for the protection, restoration and expansion of trees and woodland in England. The strong contemporary focus on the importance of trees in addressing the climate and nature crises mean that this opportunity to legislate should be taken. Such action is strongly consistent with the Environment Bill’s aims of restoring and enhancing green spaces. It also complements the existing tree clauses, and reflects recent legislation in Scotland which is important given the UK wide focus on increasing tree cover as part of the UK’s global climate and biodiversity commitments.

3. Therefore, the Woodland Trust proposes a new amendment as follows:

NC100 Duty to prepare an England Tree Strategy

(1) The Government must prepare an England Tree Strategy.

(2) The England Tree Strategy must set out the Government’s vision, objectives, priorities and policies for trees in England including individual trees, woodland and forestry, and may set out other matters with respect to the promotion of sustainable management of trees in these contexts.

(3) The England Tree Strategy must include the Government’s targets and interim targets with respect to:

a) the percentage of England under tree cover

b) hectares of new native woodland creation achieved by tree planting

c) hectares of new native woodland creation achieved by natural regeneration

d) the percentage of native woodland in favourable ecological condition

e) hectares of Plantation on Ancient Woodland (PAWS) undergoing restoration

(4) The Government must keep the England Tree Strategy under review, and may, if they consider it appropriate to do so, revise the strategy.

(5) If the Government has not revised the England Tree Strategy within the period of 10 years beginning with the day on which the strategy was last published, they must revise the strategy.

Introduction

4. The Woodland Trust welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this inquiry. As a member of Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Greener UK coalition of NGOs, we support their separate joint submission to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee on the Environment Bill 2019-21 and the points it has highlighted (your Committee reference EB10).

5. The Woodland Trust is submitting this additional evidence in order to make the case for the positive opportunities that a legislated Tree Strategy for England can give to the Environment Bill.

About the Trust

6. The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK, with over 1,200 sites in its care covering over 29,000 hectares. Access to its woods is free. Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 500,000 supporters.

7. The Trust wants to see a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife, and has three key aims: i) protect ancient woodland which is rare, unique and irreplaceable; ii) restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life; iii) plant native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.

8. Contact: Richard Barnes, MCIEEM (Lead Government Affairs Officer).

Evidence

9. Despite the protection, restoration and expansion of trees and woodland in England being central to many of the Government’s environmental objectives, there is currently no formal mechanism to set targets for these actions. It is essential that the Environment Bill rectify this major shortcoming specifically via formal principles and targets to be set out in an England Tree Strategy (ETS).

10. The Environment Bill represents landmark legislation needed to address the biggest environmental priorities of our time. It is key to delivering commitments made in the 25 Year Environment Plan and in the Conservative Party manifesto for the 2019 General Election including:

· Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050

· Planting 30,000 hectares of trees a year across the UK

· Thriving plants and wildlife

· Mitigating and adapting to climate change

· Clean air and water

11. Trees and woodland are essential to all of these objectives, making a major contribution to numerous ecosystem services, including:

· sequestering carbon

· supporting biodiversity

· providing flood protection

· stabilising soils and maintaining soil health

· filtering air pollutants

· improving mental and physical well-being

· helping regulate temperatures.

12. The Government must deliver an ETS which sets a bold vision to expand, connect, restore and protect our woods and trees. To do this, the ETS must:

· Protect and restore existing woods and the biodiversity within them

· Deliver new trees and woods for nature, rivers, soils and climate

· Connect people and trees through innovative new approaches such as the Northern Forest

· Support the woodland economy, investing in areas including nursery capacity and skills training.

13. Therefore it is essential that the Environment Bill establish an ETS with statutory targets to support the following objectives:

14. Increase the percentage of England under tree cover

Biodiversity and carbon sequestration imperatives both require significant and sustained increases in woodland cover in England. As such they should be taken forward together via a target for increased tree cover. Woodland expansion in England is well below the necessary future rate with just 1,000 hectares of new broadleaf woodland being established in 2018/2019 in England. The Tree Strategy for England must have statutory responsibility to address this, setting out interim and overall targets for woodland expansion over a 10-year period.

15. Increase hectares of new native woodland creation achieved by tree planting

New woodland must deliver for both carbon sequestration and biodiversity. With 53% of UK woodland wildlife in decline, the Tree Strategy for England needs to contain targets that ensure this integration is established and maintained through a specific target for native woodland creation.

16. Increase hectares of new native woodland creation achieved by natural regeneration

As our climate begins to change, it is vital our native trees and other woodland species are able to adapt. Research clearly shows that genetically diverse native woodland in the UK can and does respond to changing local circumstance including rising temperatures if allowed to adapt through natural regeneration. Setting a specific target for new native woodland creation achieved by natural regeneration will help reduce the reliance on importing trees to meet targets, which carries a higher risk of introducing new pests and disease.

17. Increase the percentage of native woodland in favourable ecological condition

The large majority of England’s native woodlands are currently not managed appropriately. This can reduce their conservation value and their ability to absorb carbon. It can also make them vulnerable to damage from overgrazing, invasive species and tree diseases. Using existing Government measures of woodland health, a target should be set to increase the percentage of all woodland in favourable ecological condition.

18. Increase hectares of Plantation on Ancient Woodland (PAWS) undergoing restoration

Ancient Woodland is irreplaceable and represents the most diverse terrestrial habitat in the UK. Across the UK, over 200,000 hectares of former native woodland is currently planted with mostly commercial forestry. As this commercial crop reaches maturity and is harvested, there is an opportunity to restore the original woodland, undertaking management which allows its original features to regenerate. Although the Forestry Commission is formally charged with overseeing such work through its Key Performance Indicators, in 2018 only 37 hectares were recorded as being in restoration on private land. The Environment Bill must confirm that a statutory target for restoration will be set through the ETS.

June 2020