Plant an additional 75,000 acres of trees a year
Last updated 3 years ago
Conservative Party Manifesto 2019, p.43Building on our support for creating a Great Northumberland Forest, we will reach an additional 75,000 acres of trees a year by the end of the next Parliament...
Our verdict
- This is a commitment to plant new trees at a rate of 75,000 acres per year by the end of this parliamentary term, expected to be in 2024.
- The latest national statistics show that in 2019-2020 only 2330 hectares of new woodland was planted in England, which equates to a mere 5757 acres – Scotland, by comparison, planted more than 27,000 acres. In April 2021, a report from the Woodland Trust found the government to have fallen a long way behind in terms of meeting its tree planting targets. However, in May 2021 the England Trees Action Plan 2021-2024 was published, which outlines funding plans for tree planting drawn from the Nature for Climate fund, established in the March 2020 Budget. The action plan was welcomed by the Woodland Trust as an “enormous step forwards”.
- The England Trees Action Plan and funding allocations are evidence of a commitment to fulfilling this pledge, and we wait to see whether implementation will move this policy forwards from its current status of ‘in progress’.
There's always room for debate
We’re serious about providing clear, up-to-date, non-partisan information. We focus on being consistent and fair in how we reach our verdicts, and always explain our reasoning. But there is always room for debate. So if you see it differently, we’d love you to tell us why. Or even better, submit an edit.
Comments
Show Hide