Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Accepted
Paragraph: 88
Communicate clearly that England Woodland Creation Offer supports commercially productive mixed woodlands and nature recovery.
Recommendation
The Government is relying on third parties to plant the lion’s share of the trees required to meet its tree planting targets and thus deliver timber production as well as a suite of climate and environmental objectives. It is therefore crucial that the Government is clear on what it requires prospective planters to do, and that it provides competitive and targeted incentives to encourage this. Given that the timber sector is a for-profit sector, it is appropriate that the England Woodland Creation Offer pays public money to incentivise the provision of public goods in the form of ecosystem services and nature restoration. We are nevertheless concerned that prospective planters seeking to plant productive woodlands are deterred from applying for the scheme because of a perception that it does not support productive forestry. The Government must therefore communicate as clearly as possible the fact that the England Woodland Creation Offer—the main grant to incentivise tree planting—can be used to support mixed forests which are commercially productive as well as benefiting nature recovery.
Government Response Summary
The government stated that the England Woodland Creation Offer's ambition already includes commercial forestry and timber production, and they have run campaigns focusing on the economic aspects of woodland creation to communicate its benefits to prospective planters.
Paragraph Reference:
88
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The overall ambition of the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) is to encourage investment in woodland creation for a variety of purposes including commercial forestry and timber production. All new planting schemes supported by the Nature for Climate Fund conform to the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS). The UKFS supports both coniferous and broadleaf woodlands but does not allow a single species to constitute more than 65% of a new forest; in practice, a new woodland is unlikely to comprise more than 50% of a single species because of sensitivities across the site, including landscape, and variation in site conditions. The eligibility criteria of all our grants are available online and we have run campaigns focusing on the economic aspects of woodland creation, linking into the relevant grant offers with generous per hectare and per year payments to manage a commercial crop.