Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

National Tree Strategy

16 December 2020 · 7 other contributors · 14,226 words

Opened by Dan Jarvis Lab Barnsley North

Responding minister: Rebecca Pow

ClimateEnvironment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Dan Jarvis raised concerns about national tree strategy in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Dan Jarvis expresses concern over insufficient tree cover in England, noting the need to increase it from 12% to 20%, as recommended by the Committee on Climate Change.
  • Jarvis mentions a significant loss of 150 million mature trees due to ash dieback disease and calls for statutory targets within the Environment Bill and local tree plans.
  • The Minister outlines the Government's plan to plant 30,000 hectares of trees annually in the UK by 2025 and mentions a 640 million investment from the nature for climate fund.

Key requests to Government

Jarvis asks for statutory targets within the Environment Bill and confirmation that the England tree strategy will include such measures. He also calls for local authorities to be mandated to produce statutory local tree plans and advocates for support for initiatives like the Northern Forest, which aims to plant 50 million trees over 25 years.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Dan Jarvis Lab Barnsley North

Dan Jarvis is concerned about the lack of sufficient trees in England and inadequate care for existing trees. He highlights the urgent need to increase tree cover from the current level of 12% to around 20%, as recommended by the Committee on Climate Change, requiring up to 70,000 hectares of new trees and woods annually. Jarvis also points out that only 13,460 hectares were planted in the previous year, far short of the required amount. He mentions issues such as pests and diseases leading to a loss of 150 million mature trees due to ash dieback disease.

Other contributors (7)
  • Anthony Mangnall Con Totnes

    Mangnall highlighted the importance of preserving green spaces in his constituency, which includes a national park and an area of outstanding natural beauty. He noted that there has been significant public support for protecting these areas from development. The England tree strategy consultation had over 20,000 submissions, leading to £5.7 million being allocated to plant 1.8 million trees by 2025. Mangnall also emphasised the role of organisations like Moor Trees in planting native species and restoring sites, creating jobs and improving biodiversity.

  • Chris Clarkson Con Heywood and Middleton

    The importance of trees for our environment and communities should be acknowledged, with specific mention to the benefits they bring in terms of biodiversity and air quality. Mr Clarkson praised the Northern forest project, highlighting its economic and environmental benefits. He mentioned that the UK's horticulture sector is worth £24 billion and supports over 560,000 jobs. The planting of 200 saplings in Radcliffe was part of a Government investment of £5.7 million. Mr Clarkson estimated that it will cost around £500 million to develop the Northern forest by planting 50 million trees over 25 years.

  • Derek Twigg Lab Widnes and Halewood

    Mr Twigg highlighted the lack of woodland cover in northern England, particularly in his constituency, and stressed the importance of the Northern forest project to increase tree coverage. He expressed concern about urban areas being limited to street planting and urged for more significant woodland creation with native British trees. Mr Twigg also noted that local plans focus on housing and industrial development rather than tree planting. He emphasised the need for quality maintenance of newly planted trees and advocated for funded tree officers in local authorities.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    He expressed his passion for conservation and shared that he has planted approximately 3,500 trees on his land in Strangford. He highlighted the positive impact of tree planting on wildlife and water quality, noting Northern Ireland's current low rate of tree planting compared to other parts of the UK.

  • Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East

    Welcomed recent Government pledges on tree planting but expressed concern over the UK's low forest cover compared to the EU average. Highlighted the importance of agroforestry and encouraged major landholders, including the Church of England and Ministry of Defence, to plant more trees. Mentioned Bristol's initiative to double its tree canopy cover by 2030 and called for empowering local communities in tree-planting efforts.

  • Luke Pollard Lab Co-op Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

    Congratulated the lead MP on the debate, highlighted the need for delivery alongside ambition in tree planting. Emphasised the benefits of trees for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, mental health, and physical well-being. Called for a billion new trees to be planted by 2030 and two billion by 2040. Criticised the unambitious England Tree Plan. Highlighted the importance of accessible tree planting, inclusion of nature in developments, and cross-departmental ambitions including Highways England.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    She expressed concern about the lack of ambition in the Government's tree planting strategy, citing statistics that show only 900,000 hectares were planned for planting by 2050. She also noted that only 17% of new woodland created last year was in England and urged the council to plant trees alongside rivers to reduce flooding risks. Maskell highlighted the importance of cross-departmental work between departments such as transport to protect urban health.

Government Response

Rebecca Pow

It is an absolute pleasure to be having this debate. The Government's plan includes planting 30,000 hectares of trees every year in the UK by 2025 and protecting existing woodlands as part of a commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Minister acknowledged over 20,000 responses received from the consultation on the England tree strategy and highlighted investments such as £640 million from the nature for climate fund to drive up nature-based solutions including tree planting. She also mentioned a statutory target process in the Environment Bill that could include targets for trees if deemed appropriate. Specific grants are available through countryside stewardship and new woodland creation grants will be opening soon with money from the nature for climate fund. £5.7 million of funding has been allocated to support natural flood management, and work is ongoing to mitigate flooding through woodlands. The Minister discussed challenges such as managing pests, deer, grey squirrels, and disease outbreaks like ash dieback, and initiatives to protect ancient woodlands. She mentioned the importance of urban trees with £10 million spent on the urban tree challenge fund planting over 18,000 trees across towns and cities. The net gain point was addressed, requiring developers to maintain new woodlands created through the process for 30 years. Minister urged every Member to plant a tree including championing COP26.

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