Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Accepted
Paragraph: 64
Tree nursery representatives and the Forestry Commission told us that nurseries in the UK will...
Recommendation
Tree nursery representatives and the Forestry Commission told us that nurseries in the UK will struggle to expand production to deliver the number of young trees required for the Government to achieve its planting ambitions by the end of this Parliament. We believe that the Government should aim to meet all UK planting needs from domestically grown trees. To achieve this the Government needs to give the sector greater confidence to invest and expand production, given that it can take up to four years to grow the trees required for planting. We reiterate our recommendation that the UK Government set annual targets for the number Tree planting 41 of trees that will be planted in England, which we believe would greatly help the sectors’ confidence in the Government’s commitment to tree planting. We also ask the Government to update us on progress establishing a confidential information sharing system with nurseries, and on the outcomes of the £10m invested via the tree production innovation fund.
Government Response Summary
£1 million has been made available through the Tree Production Innovation Fund and a new Tree Production Capital Grant opened for applications in May to modernise facilities.
Paragraph Reference:
64
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
In the past year £1 million has been made available through the Tree Production Innovation Fund (TPIF) to encourage the adoption of innovative technologies and ways of working in the nursery sector. TPIF is supporting a wide range of projects to overcome barriers in tree production, through increased germination and establishments rates, automation of labour-intensive processes, and development of sustainable weed control solutions. Forestry Commission have had a fantastic response to TPIF, receiving 31 applications in 2021 including collaborations between researchers, nurseries, seed suppliers and industry. TPIF recently reopened for a second round of applications, making an additional £1.4m available for this ground-breaking work. In May, a new Tree Production Capital Grant (TPCG) opened for applications, providing capital support to nurseries and seed suppliers to modernise facilities, for example by adopting mechanisation and automation, and thereby improve the quantity, quality, diversity, and biosecurity of planting stock available for planting in England. Following our ETAP commitment to explore new data sharing practices to help better plan for supply and demand in the sector, the Forestry Commission have now recruited a data specialist to facilitate a flow of information on plant supply and demand between Government, the nursery sector, and their customers. The decision to close Wykeham followed a detailed review of Forestry England’s operations, which led to concentrating tree seedling production at Delamere in Cheshire. This decision has been carefully considered by the Forestry England Board and will not have an impact on current or future tree planting ambitions nationally or by Forestry England. Forestry England’s two nurseries exist primarily to supply trees for Forestry England. The nurseries also supply trees to the legacy organisations in Wales and Scotland which have been created in response to the devolution of state forest management in those countries. These sales are declining as Natural Resources Wales and Forestry and Land Tree Planting: Government Response to the Committee’s Third Report of Session 2021–22 11 Scotland move to procuring trees through public tender. The future supply from Delamere will provide excellent quality trees suitable for planting by Forestry England throughout England. Delamere Nursery is home to the most advanced production systems in the UK Forest Nursery sector. Past investment in its glasshouse facility has allowed Forestry England to move toward a sustainable method of tree production, reducing inputs of water and pesticides while increasing efficiency of seed use. Further planned investment will increase outputs from the existing site and will further reduce reliance on labour. The developments in cell-grown tree production will support Forestry England in growing of a more diverse range of species. The system also enables trees to be transplanted on forest sites throughout much of the year, rather than limiting planting to the winter season. The Wykeham site has been made available to lease by competitive tender. Bids will be evaluated, with those that indicate intention to grow trees being prioritised.