The conservation charity Ellie Brodie, Head of Land Management, Wildlife Trusts
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of trees and woodlands for people and nature. Some of the many benefits they bring include providing important habitats for wildlife, storing carbon, holding back flood waters and boosting our wellbeing through being an escape into nature.
The Wildlife Trusts want to see more tree cover across the UK to help nature’s recovery and tackle the climate crisis. We want this increased tree cover to be strategically planned through a Nature Recovery Network following the principle of planting the right tree in the right place to ensure that trees aren’t planted over other vital habitats such as peatlands and species-rich grasslands.
We also want to see more natural regeneration of existing woodland rather than restocking from nurseries because it fosters greater diversity, better protections against tree diseases and more suitable homes for our native wildlife. Wildlife Trusts across the UK are working hard to boost nature on people’s doorsteps and further afield.
The investor Richard Kelly, Director, Foresight Group
From an investment perspective, as one of the least forested countries in Europe, the UK is ripe for large-scale afforestation. To date, afforestation investment opportunities have been rare, but provide the opportunity for even greater returns than mature woodland. With the Government publicly supportive of mass afforestation, rural landowners and farmers have a once in a lifetime opportunity to enhance the value of their estates.
Afforestation investment sweet spots include northern England, the Scottish Borders and Western Scotland. These areas benefit from a combination of subdued land prices and optimal growing conditions. Schemes designed with a large proportion of high-yielding species, such as Sitka spruce, will be more highly valued. Land that comes with a high-quality afforestation feasibility study and a relatively low level of planning risk will be particularly sought after.
With the increasing importance of ethical, social and governance (“ESG”) considerations, expect to see substantial institutional appetite for the coming wave of UK afforestation investment opportunities.
The ecologist Dr David Hetherington, Woodland Advisor, Cairngorms National Park Authority
A tempting quick fix, both in terms of meeting ambitious national planting targets and rapidly sequestering carbon, would be simply to plough-and-plant rows of fast-growing conifers native to other continents. These plantations undoubtedly have a purpose, but typically lack the more complex structure and diversity of plant and animal species found in more natural woodland.
Overly invasive ground preparation methods in carbon-rich soils can mean the plantation is a net emitter of carbon for much of its early life. The sensitive design and planting of diverse new woodlands, which make good use of the rich palette of native tree species available, would not only sequester carbon and help manage flooding downstream, but would bring huge benefits for an array of wildlife, help shade our ever-warming rivers, and provide us with a greater recreational and sustainable timber resource.
Here in the Cairngorms National Park we are aiming for 1,000 hectares of new woodland every year and much of it is happening through unfenced natural regeneration from existing seed sources. Thousands of new hectares of mainly Scots pine and birch woodland are being created by reducing deer grazing pressure, ensuring the right tree in the right place with minimal disturbance to carbon-rich soils.
The forester Andrew Bronwin, Andrew Bronwin & Co
Much of my career as a forestry agent has been spent battling against low timber prices and government indifference to trees and woods. Those times are now behind us with a significant rise in timber prices and the realisation that trees can help in the challenge of climate change.
Devolved governments are investing in forestry at very different levels. Scotland is leading the way with a commitment to create 15,000 hectares of new woodland by 2025, Wales has huge potential, but is struggling to meet a more modest target of 2,000 hectares due to lack of funding, while England is something of an unknown with many more competing land uses.
The fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic is, of course, unknown but there is no doubt that there will be substantial and long term demand for timber products. Our own domestic supply will dip from 2030 following a dearth of planting over the past 30 years and there will be good opportunities for woodland owners to realise full value from their assets.