Sue Holden, Chief Executive of the Woodland Trust commented: “The Woodland Trust has been calling for a doubling of native tree cover. The UK is one of the least-wooded countries in Europe. There is an urgent need to create landscapes that enable wildlife and people to better adapt to climate change."
"New native trees and woodland would help make existing habitats more resilient and increase opportunities for wildlife to move in response to change. They would also substantially improve water quality, reduce flooding, counter air pollution and cool our towns and cities”.
This report highlights that if an extra four per cent of the UK’s land area were planted with trees (23,000 ha per annum) it would lock up 10 percent of the UK’s GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions by 2050.
Whilst carbon storage is important, the emphasis needs to be on planting the right kind of woodland - native trees - to maximize all the other, even greater, benefits for climate change adaptation that it would offer wildlife and society.
The time for action is NOW. It’s frankly absurd that carbon storage by woodland is declining in the UK at the moment. Over the last ten years, the area of new broadleaved trees planted each year has been slashed by almost two-thirds from 13,500 hectares in 2000-01 to just 4,700 hectares in 2008-09.
This assessment proposes a significant increase on current planting rates that could result in the doubling of native woodland cover. We sincerely hope these recommendations together with the aspirations outlined in the Low Carbon Transition Plan come to fruition to help give people and wildlife a better chance of adapting to climate change.”
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, email: media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.