10 December 2020 - confor.org.uk
Strong political will is crucial to meeting ambitious tree planting targets, according to the architect of Scotland's success in driving up new woodland creation.

Jim Mackinnon CBE carried out a review of planting applications and approvals in 2016, when just over 4500 hectares of new woodland creation was happening annually. That has increased to more than 11,000 hectares in each of the last two years.
Mr Mackinnon was speaking to a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Forestry and Tree Planting, which discussed the subject: One year on from the general election, is the UK Government on course to meet its tree planting targets? [Watch the full event here: https://youtu.be/fuBTysy4MQQ]
The UK Government has said it will plant 30,000 hectares of new woodland every year across the UK every year by 2025. Currently, under 14,000 hectares are being planted, 80% of that in Scotland.
Edward Barker, Director for Natural Environment, Trees and Landscapes at Defra, admitted it was a "steep" target but said the ground was being laid to make it happen.
Richard Greenhous, Director of Forest Services at Forestry Commission, said there was stronger political will than he had seen in almost a decade at the Commission - with a desire to plant more trees and meet the ambitious targets all the way from the Prime Minister down. 
Jim Mackinnon explained why he thought Scotland had successfully driven up planting, including: being more upfront with communities where planting was happening; improving the practical skills and knowledge base in the forestry agencies; better alignment of planting approvals and financial support; and a strong partnership between the private sector, the Scottish Government and its agencies. 
Above all else, strong political will was needed, he said. "Fergus Ewing was absolutely vital; you really need someone to put their political imprimatur on planting targets to make them happen."
Edward Barker said there was clearly considerable agreement that more trees had to be planted and this included political commitment. Defra was "very keen to learn from the Scottish experience", he added.
A majority of those present thought England should set its own target of 7500 hectares of new woodland per year by 2025, although around one-third thought it should be more ambitious and aim for 10,000 hectares. Caroline Ayre, Confor's National Manager for England, thought 7,500 hectares was achievable and said it was vital that all parts of the UK had clear targets to support the overall 30,000 hectare ambition.
"This is a huge challenge and is unprecedented in recent history - but we believe it is achievable if the Government works constructively with the forestry industry," she said.
She called for an urgent Mackinnon-style review of planting application and approval processes for England - because an independent, systematic review, with agreed proposals, could map a clear way forward.
Tom Barnes, Managing Director of Vastern Timber, which works with hardwoods to create high-quality timber products from local woodlands, called for "planting with a purpose" - by linking the creation of new woodland clearly to better management and greater home-grown wood use.
The UK imports around 80% of the wood products it currently uses, second only to China. Mr Barnes said we must tip the balance and grow far more wood here - to deliver wide-ranging benefits including local economic growth and jobs, and shorter supply chains to increase environmental benefits, especially mitigating climate change.
"We need to plant more, we need to manage more and we need use more - it's that simple," he said. This meant breaking down political and cultural barriers and making the intrinsic link between tree planting and wood production.
"You wouldn't talk about agriculture without talking about food production but I hear continuously about tree planting with absolutely no mention of management and wood production," he said. "It drives me a little bit potty.
"Tree planting is important but it's only step 1; we must talk about step 2, management, and step 3, harvesting. A farmer wouldn't plant any other crop and consider the job done. Without steps 2 and 3, tree planting will not contribute significantly to CO2 reduction targets; in fact without management, it's unlikely to produce any kind of meaningful woodland at all. Over-stocked, stunted, deer-chewed, squirrel-stripped trees achieve nothing and in many cases, will not survive to middle age."
He dded: "Claiming that planting trees alone will solve our climate problem is nonsense and those in positions of trust and and power should stop peddling this misinformation. Trees can do many things, but on their own cannot absord our greenhouse gases problem away."
Potentially a much bigger win was growing, managing and using more timber to substitute high-energy materials like concrete, steel and plastic, he argued
Caroline Ayre made this point too, saying: "Too much of our tree planting over the last 30 years has been woodland which will never produce wood. It delivers no income stream and is left to the mercy of threats of deer and grey squirrel, without the management young woodland needs to thrive."
She said the UK Forest Standard (UKFS) was one of the highest-quality global standards for forestry - but it was still difficult to get approval for strong woodland applications that met the UKFS. "Why should we import wood from countries that might have lower sustainability standards than us?" she asked.
She concluded by saying: "Let's get everyone around table so we can agree which part of the UK is doing what - and build on the positivity to plant."