The issue
The UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe, with 12 per cent
woodland cover.
The UK needs more native woodland to restore the depleted and
fragmented character of our countryside. New woodland can play an
important role in helping wildlife adapt to climate change, and a minor,
but important, role in mitigating that change. New woodland can help in
flood alleviation, improving water quality, urban regeneration and
enhancing landscapes.
Forestry can produce a renewable and environmentally friendly product.
There remains considerable potential for the use of timber grown in the
UK from certified sustainable sources as one of the ways of reducing
‘greenhouse gas’ emissions and other environmental damage.
Community forestry has acted as a catalyst for the creation of new
woodland and the management of existing woodland in rural areas and as a
tool in urban regeneration around larger towns and cities. This has been
important in highlighting the social and environmental benefits of
woodland.
Where the Trust is now
- We are a leading
contributor to new native woodland creation. We have created more than
3,200 hectares of new woodland.
- We have completed
exciting projects to celebrate the millennium, creating 250 new
community woods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland covering 1,100
hectares.
- We are one of four
parties in the Scottish Forest Alliance, a major initiative to
increase native woodland in Scotland.
- We have targets
for the creation of new woodland to support woodland biodiversity, and
for accessible woodland for people.
What we would like
to see
- Government
commitment to targets for increased woodland cover and an increase in
the rate of native woodland planting.
- Location of new
woodland to reverse the fragmentation of ancient woodland.
- An opportunity for
every child in the UK to plant trees in his or her local community.
- More government
support for woodland creation which recognises the public benefits of
new native woodland.
- New woodland that
will improve the environment around settlements of all sizes;
accessible woodland within reach of everyone.
- Recognition of the
role of responsibly managed woods, forests and timber production in
sustainable development.
How we will
achieve this
We will:
- Acquire land for
creating new native woodland, where it offers good opportunities for
improving biodiversity. We will share our experiences of woodland
creation.
- Work with others,
and in particular with local communities, to create new woodland.
- Involve children
in the planting and care of trees as a way of inspiring lifelong
concern for the environment.
- Persuade
government and funding bodies to support new native woodland,
recognising its wider environmental and social benefits.
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By creating woods next to ancient woodland we can buffer it
from external impacts and improve the chances of woodland species
colonising the new woodland. Woodland creation can help restore
fragmented landscapes, allowing wildlife to range over a wider
area. |
Worney Wood, Vale of Glamorgan Photographs: WTPL/Anton Want
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Planting at Glen Quey in the Ochills, Scotland.
Photographs: WTPL/Niall Benvie |
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