Recommendation 51

We recommend that the Forestry Commission, as the Government’s experts on forestry, work with Ofgem to share best forestry practice. The objective of this collaboration ought to be to ensure that, should demand for domestic wood biomass in energy markets increase, the regulatory framework for bioenergy feedstocks derived from forestry crops and silvicultural activities is developed in line with principles of sustainable forestry. The collaboration ought to be undertaken in full recognition of the need to deliver on the UK’s commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Diversity Framework, and on the Government’s commitments and obligations under the Environment Act 2021. (Paragraph 232) Seeing the wood for the trees: the contribution of the forestry and timber sectors to biodiversity and net zero goals 83