14th November 2023
To address both the climate and biodiversity crises, the government has a target, set in the Environment Act, for increasing tree increasing tree and woodland cover to 16.5% of total land area in England by 2050. (Sadly this is less than the 17.5% increase originally laid down in the 2021 legislation).
However as the Woodlands Trust points out, there must be a focus on quality as well as quantity:-
“ We need an ambitious target which ensures woods are:
- best for wildlife: at least 300,000 ha of all new trees and woods must be native to provide havens for hundreds of woodland species by 2050
- well connected: expanding our existing woodland patches will connect and increase habitat sizes and boost their benefits.” (1)
There is therefore an urgency to the need for quality tree planting and, as importantly, for maintenance. The Guardian highlighted a recent report from ‘Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research’ which warned that “UK forests are heading for “catastrophic ecosystem collapse” within the next 50 years due to multiple threats including disease, extreme weather and wildfires … with trees dying on a large scale.” (2)
We as individuals can help in a couple of small ways –
- By using the online Tree Alert tool to report possible tree pests and diseases.
- By ensuring our boots are clean before walking in a new woodland to avoid spreading disease.
- By sponsoring trees through groups such as The Woodlands Trust, the Wildlife Trust, Trees for Life, the NHS Forest, or the National Forest (planting trees in the former industrial areas of the Midlands)
https://treesforlife.org.uk/support/plant-a-tree/
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/support-us/give/dedications/
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/adopt-species/adopt-tree-or-habitat
https://www.nationalforest.org/
(1) (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/protecting-trees-and-woods/campaign-with-us/tree-target/)
The Green Tau 