What is holding back woodland creation in the UK? - Why are we not meeting tree planting targets?

Many challenges face those attempting large scale woodland creation in the UK. From historical and cultural issues to problems with process and planning, this film discusses what is holding back woodland creation. Our series wood for the trees explores the future of UK forests from varied perspectives. In this film we talk to woodland managers, foresters, rewilders, land owners and campaigners to find out why the UK is not meeting it's tree planting targets.
If there are so many important reasons to plant trees, why are they not being planted?
The government set targets to plant 30,000 hectares of trees per year but the UK is not even halfway towards this. We know there is political ambition and public support to plant more trees, and we know there is public and private financial support available for tree planting and to establish woodland.
To find out what might be holding back woodland creation, we sought out those people involved in establishing large scale woodland creation schemes (or at least trying to do so). We asked them to explain some of the factors and issues involved.
Many thanks to our guests for being so helpful, thoughtful, and generous with their time.
Caroline Ayre MICFor, Director, Evolving Forests, evolvingforests.com
Harriet Bell Regenerative Farming Lead, Riverford.co.uk
John Deakin Head of Trees & Woodlands, nationaltrust.org.uk/
Prof Alastair Driver FCIEEM, Director, Rewilding Britain, rewildingbritain.org.uk
Derek Gow Farmer, Nature Conservationist and Author, keepitwild.co.uk
Ed Green 7th generation farmer at Chesterblade Hills, chills.org.uk
Gabriel Hemery, Forest Scientist, author and CEO of the Sylva Foundation, sylva.org.uk
Liz Nicholson, Chartered Environmentalist, Managing Director- Nicholsons Nicholsonsgb.com, Director, forestcanopyfoundation.co.uk
Nick Philips, Forestry Policy, WoodlandTrust. www.woodlandtr...
Wood for the Trees is a series of short films on the future of forests from environmentalist film maker Charly Le Marchant and sawmiller and timber merchant Tom Barnes.
Find out more about the series at Woodforthetrees.uk
£1.8 Billion deficit from woodland planting comes from the Forest Canopy Research Foundation.
Thanks also to The Agroforestry Show/Soil Association/Woodland Trust/Edd Colbert for inviting us to film at Helen Brownings farm from which we gathered shots of agroforestry in action.
Thanks also to those (not on film), such as Phil Sturgeon of Protect Earth, who have been open to sharing the similar challenges they have been facing planting trees across the devolved nations of the UK.

[@karmakimdaisy8680]

Wow so many experts in this video and they all fit together perfectly to give you a really idea of what is happening with UK woodland cultivation

[@combitz]

Nice video, as a land owner I spent several days putting a grant request together for carbon offset, I was offered 75p per tree and I had to allow my land to be involved in a case study. Current UK woodland funding support is still a joke in my experience. I'll find another way to make the change, it will just take a lot longer.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Good luck with your planting projects. You might find local wildlife trusts or community organisations able to help - a lot depends on the location and scale of the task.

[@rugbyfirstenglishsecond117]

Good information and an impressive group of speakers you have brought together. I have 600 native trees sitting in my garden right now. Planting on my field soon. Linking two woodlands together.🎉 If you have some spare land contact the Woodland Trust or your local Wildlife Trust. Loads of grants for trees and equipment. Devon Wildlife Trust and the WT have helped my group create a 500 acre nature corridor, following the water channels.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Thanks very much for your comment! We spoke with the Devon Wildlife Trust a couple of years ago. They feature in our film of 'Ideas to help woodland thrive' that we made for COP26. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iImQfXuvpMSagJYsi=IySswBnHAKboTIQE

[@ginojaco]

I'm farming in West Wales, beef and lamb. Including wide fenced-in hedges, typically about ten feet wide and filled with standards down to shrubs, I guess about 15% of my lands are wooded, and about half of that periodically has livestock through it. I have put in many more trees, plashed others and am open to having more trees, but... I NEED to earn a living from my land. On principle, I do not and never have claimed subsidy; I would have no problem with receiving a specific PERMANENT annual payment for land given over to woodland. But... what about food 'security' and food 'miles'?

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Thanks for sharing your comments. You might like our films on agroforestry which covers some of those issues around food miles and food security: This is about the benefits of trees on a smallholding in Somerset, kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5quqJKseJaFf7ssi=sV3AAQKaOwNIqzcB and this film on 'What holds back Agroforestry' filmed at Riverford organic farm. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eX_ImImEbdyCsMksi=4G48-wah5Y9IwKJD

[@WoodForTheTrees]

FYI - Tom Barnes was less involved this film as he has been working on The National Wood Strategy - a pathway towards a sustainable forest products industry in England. It was released last week. See it here - thenationalwoodstrategy.co.uk Both the strategy and this film have covered similar ground and have informed each other. It’s nice they were both released the same week.

[@robwashers]

Tom And Vic Davies farmed in Somerset (their family 200+ yrs) until my parents bought the 200 acre farm in 1970. Every Saturday they use to go to Taunton market where they always bought a tree sapling to then plant on the farm. As a result the farm is still today one of the most wooded and beautiful farms I have ever seen (biased). Oh a side note was when my parents retired in 2010 Gorse reappeared on the steep slopes . However, after 10 years of the Gorse, naturally propertied tree saplings are appearing everywhere they get the protection from the Gorse to allow them to grow past their 4- 6 foot vulnerable stage of life (previously the Deer and Cattle ate the saplings). Keeping hedgerows tightly trimmed and not having trees growing in fields is still today seen as good practice in my local farming community.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Thanks for commenting. That farm sounds wonderful. You may enjoy our film about the benefits of planting trees on a smallholding in Somerset: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ganGmHWwaJKJe5I

[@MassiveChetBakerFan]

I love gorse.

[@davidsivills3599]

I think a lot of farmers can't see the wood for the trees,many are still living in the 20th century when the norm was to remove trees from farmland.When farmers do move away from traditional farming and start to rewild part of their land it's been very successful.Look at knepp it's been a massive success, they are making more money now than when it was a traditional farm.I think farmers should get rewilding now,it's the future and beneficial for all humans,animals and the planet.

[@anemone104]

Planting trees is only part of the equation. We have more trees and woodland now that we have had since the end of the first world war (your own figures in this video). Another question we must address is the management (and productivity) of our existing woodlands. Why is it so bloody hard to get support for managing small woodlands? Reinstating coppicing, supporting markets for coppice products, training coppice workers would all help support small-scale rural economic enterprises (including farmers). Not just grant aid support, but new barriers brought in such as the recent Ready to Burn/Woodsure malarkey which chills the production of high quality wood fuels by small scale producers working on a small local scale. Idiocy.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Thanks for your comment. You might like our film about the challenges and opportunities for small woodlands, filmed a couple of years ago at Hillyfield farm. kzbin.info/www/bejne/naatgI19a6qEmMksi=s8BzUj-TeuFGDpyD

[@davidpenney2334]

The jays do the planting for us, along with a few dedication tree planters up and down the country

[@9trees977]

Excellent video! Thank you!

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Glad you liked it!

[@MaxAdams-yr1wu]

Natural England are threatening to prosecute me for planting trees on former sheep pasture because they 'cannot rule out the possibility' that a golden plover recorded three years ago might - MIGHT - want to eat the grass or make a nest there. Environmental reductionism that favours feathery enviro-porn over habitat creation. Most Pennine sheep farms will be barred from tree planting or woodland creation for the same reason. The Forestry Commission used to be the 'competent authority' on woodland creation; now they have surrendered that role to Natural England who take an absolutist position, non-negotiable and very, very shortsighted.

[@MrNiuj]

Great video.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Sorry if it was you that mentioned funding in Northern Ireland. Deleted by mistake. Please share again!

[@holyshipman]

10:10 the reason the carbon price is less than the cost to grow, is because your aim isnt to grow carbon you are growing a product which has a value of its own, either food or timber, also arable land is the best agricultural land and is the last place trees should be planted, rough grazing should be first to be changed from agricultural to forestry

[@user-sp3wd2nn3e]

Rewilding should be preferred over forestation in many cases. Tree cover is not the answer to everything, grasslands, wetlands and bogs sequester carbon as well.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Thank you for your comment. There are many reasons to plant trees beyond carbon sequestration - see our previous film on this topic. This film was just looking at why we are not meeting the government target despite the political and public support for tree planting/regeneration.

[@johnbooth3073]

No mention of the invasive grey squirrels destroying your forest once the trees reach the age of 20 + years . No one is planting oak trees in the South of England anymore because of grey squirrels . Also deer grazing the seedlings and saplings.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

We have discussed grey squirrel in previous films in more detail. There was only so much space in this film to cover much more issues than were anticipated. But yes you are right it is a big issue. One that is being looked at by various different folk.

[@natashalion8028]

Government gets in the way!

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Sometimes, but also sometimes it just takes time to find the right way to remove these barriers without creating problems elsewhere.

[@davidpenney2334]

More houses being planted than trees....We are all up the creek without a paddle...GREED will be our down fall

[@johnfowler4820]

Bureaucracy. Can not plant trees without permission. Ridiculous Britain.

[@WoodForTheTrees]

Thanks for commenting. This rule applies to larger scale tree planting projects, and to some environmentally sensitive locations. According to the Woodland Trust "In England, planning permission isn't needed if your project is under 2ha and in a low risk area." Have you seen our film about why we need to plant more trees?kzbin.info/www/bejne/one1doJvabqEfdEsi=ijfOG6ADwKIr2jN3

[@RobCleaver]

We need some regulation because of the amount of peat and other important habitats that have been planted in the past. The current approval process requires all parties to be sufficiently resourced and motivated to help get good schemes through. We run into problems when both of these are not happening. The requirements for when a Forestry EIA might be required are set out on the EIA form. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/652ced3e6972600014ccf834/1_EIA_Afforestation_application_form_v1.1_FINAL.pdf