Recommendation 18

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.