Three rural organisations have joined forces to call for “an ambitious uplift in the area of woodland cover in the UK” after Brexit.
The CLA, Woodland Trust and Confor said increased tree planting targets should be introduced.
The group said it will need “clear goals for forest cover that reflect the many benefits [trees] can deliver and that address our present unacceptably low level of woodland cover”.
The three groups launched the joint statement at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Monday (2 October), where it was presented to Forestry Minister Dr Thérèse Coffey.
The statement, signed by CLA President Ross Murray, Woodland Trust Chief Executive Beccy Speight and Confor CEO Stuart Goodall, says: “As the UK prepares to leave the European Union in March 2019, we see a real opportunity to make positive changes to the future of support for farming and the countryside.
“We are encouraged by the views of Defra Secretary Michael Gove, in his speech on delivering a ‘Green Brexit’ in July.
“In particular we agree with him that ‘trees are not only a source of beauty and wonder, living evidence of our investment for future generations, they are also a carbon sink, a way to manage flood risk and a habitat for precious species.’”
'Contract'
The statement said the UK would benefit from more forests and woods through tree planting targets.
They call for more support for woodland creation and tree planting. A new countryside ‘contract’ between farmers, landowners and society should include measures to increase woodland cover, they said.
The statement said that owners of existing woodland should be rewarded for the public benefits it delivers. In any future policy, owners who manage their woodland to the UK Forestry Standard should be rewarded for delivering a wide range of public benefits.
Ross Murray, CLA President, said people recognise the value of tree planting and the "enormous contribution" it makes to the countryside.
“However, we need many more trees in the ground - and a way of rewarding those who plant them to recognise the many benefits they deliver,” Mr Murray said.
Stuart Goodall, Chief Executive of Confor, said: “I am very pleased to be able to launch this statement with these prestigious organisations. There is a lot of common ground here in terms of supporting and working with rural communities to plant more trees and to help create economically strong and environmentally robust rural areas.”
