The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee has launched a new inquiry to scrutinise whether the Government’s tree-planting targets are realistic, whilst still being ambitious enough, and whether it has the right strategy to deliver them.

Planting more trees is widely accepted to be one of the quickest, most effective methods to offset greenhouse gas emissions. In January, the Committee on Climate Change recommended increasing UK forestry cover to 17% by 2050 - an increase of two-fifths of the land area currently covered by trees.

However, in the light of previously missed targets, the MPs have decided to launch an inquiry to investigate whether the Government will be able to meet its new goal of increasing tree planting to 30,000 hectares a year by 2025.

The inquiry will look beyond the question of how many trees need to be planted, examining whether the right trees will be planted in the right places. It will also consider whether enough is being done to protect and enhance existing woodlands, alongside creating new ones.

The inquiry will also focus on how the Government’s forthcoming Tree Strategy for England will balance the different opportunities that expanding woodland coverage will present for nature and the environment, health and wellbeing, and the economy. It will also consider the impact on other land uses such as food production, other natural habitats and the landscape.

Chair of the EFRA Committee, Neil Parish MP, said:

“Planting trees is seen as an easy win in the fight against climate-warming greenhouse gases- but we need to do it in the right way to make sure we maximise the benefits. The Government has rightly set ambitious targets, so it’s vital to make sure it has learnt lessons from past promises that haven’t been met.

"The past year has taught us the importance of outdoor spaces which we can all enjoy, so we must make sure new and existing woodlands benefit communities and improve our mental and physical health. It is essential that, in scrabbling to meet targets, the Government's tree-planting strategy is not a blunt tool. Rather, this needs to be a plan which factors in the many ways in which increased tree-planting can bring economic growth, benefit nature and improve human wellbeing."

Questions the Committee is seeking responses to include: 

• Are the UK Government’s targets for increasing forestry coverage, and tree planting, for England and the UK sufficiently ambitious and realistic?
• Are the right structures in place to ensure that the UK wide target for increasing forestry coverage is delivered?
• How effective is the co-ordination between the four nations on forestry issues, including biosecurity, plant health and other cross-border issues?
• Why were previous ambitions for increasing tree planting in England not met and what lessons should be learned?
• In relation to increasing tree planting in England, what should the Government be trying to achieve?

The MPs are also asking whether the right policies and funding are in place to appropriately protect and manage existing woodlands in England - including how this will be affected by prospective changes to policy and legislation. 

Inaddition, they are inviting comment on how the following policy objectives should be prioritised: 

• Mitigating or adapting to climate change;
• Promoting biodiversity and nature recovery;
• Increasing biosecurity and plant health;
• Improving human well-being and health;
• Protecting natural and cultural heritage;
• Food security;
• Creating commercial opportunities from forestry, tourism and recreation; and
• Any other priorities?

Deadline to submit written evidence to the Committee is 19th November – click here to access the Call for Evidence