tree planting

Very interesting article about the renewal and imaginative re-application of the climate agenda in two different administrations. As usual rural England lags behind when it comes to insightful rural action….

Twenty-two million trees were planted in Scotland last year as part of a push to tackle the “global climate emergency”, official figures show. However, England is falling significantly short of its targets. 

A total of 11,200 hectares of Scottish countryside were covered – well exceeding the current annual target of 10,000 hectares, according to government statistics. 

But in England just 1,420 hectares of woodland was planted, despite a target of 5,000 hectares being set, figures from the Forestry Commission suggest. This means it missed its annual target by seven million trees. 

While the overall figures for the UK in the year to 31 March are up, that success is down to large increases in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Woodland Trust said.

The percentage of woodland cover in the UK remains at 13 per cent, with 10 per cent in England, 15 per cent in Wales, 19 per cent in Scotland and 8 per cent in Northern Ireland.