Press Release
Warning to policy makers – don’t overlook trees and woods!
23 April 2008
People across England are in danger of missing out on wide-ranging benefits offered by woods and trees unless regional policy makers do more to protect and enhance them as a precious resource.
From renewable energy sources to flood protection, wildlife habitat, leisure, health and well-being, trees and woods provide critical benefits across all English regions – not least their role in creating the very oxygen on which life depends, says the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.
But organisations such as Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), local authorities and Natural England need to put more effort into their protection and enhancement, argues the Woodland Trust in its latest publication – ‘Woodland Challenges: Growing Our Regional Futures’. www.woodland-trust.org.uk/campaigns/england
England is currently the least wooded country in Europe with 8.4 per cent of woodland cover. Outside of London (3.9 per cent), the East Midlands is the least wooded region with only 5.1 per cent cover.
The best woodland cover is in the south east, with 14.1 per cent, followed by the north east with 12 per cent cover (see Editor’s Note)
The Trust has also determined the disappointing fact that only 10.8 per cent of people are able to access a woodland of more than 2ha (five acres) within 500m of their homes (see the Trust’s Space for People research on www.woodland-trust.org.uk/publications - something that future policies need to address.
“Woods and trees are absolutely central to sustaining life on our planet, particularly as we grapple with the effects of climate change,” said Dr James Cooper, Woodland Trust head of government affairs.
“They not only provide green spaces for relaxation, but have a role to play in outdoor learning for children, improving public health, helping wildlife adjust to climate change and providing the oxygen we breathe.”
“Regional bodies need to be thinking seriously about woods and ensuring their support for not only protecting what we already have as an irreplaceable resource but also increasing the amount of, and accessibility to, woods and trees wherever possible,” said Dr Cooper.
“This is a golden opportunity for regional policy makers to show that they are taking the twin challenges of climate change and public health seriously. Over the next few years, we need to see awareness of the importance of trees and woods demonstrated by both Government and its agencies,” he added.
The Regional Challenges document calls for recognition and policy action over the next five years on a range of issues from protecting and enhancing ancient woods and trees, to woodland creation, provision of green infrastructure, quality of life issues and acknowledgement of the economic value of woodland.
It argues that Regional Economic Strategies should fully recognise the economic contribution of woods to well-being, acknowledging recreation benefits, timber and wood fuel opportunities – and attracting RDA investment in woodland projects.
On planning and development, the Trust argues that the planning system should protect and enhance ancient woods and trees with protection embedded in regional and local development frameworks.
UK Woodland Cover statistics:
Region - Woodland Cover
North East - 12 per cent
North West - 6.8 per cent
Yorks & H’side - 6 per cent
East Midlands - 5.1 per cent
West Midlands - 7.6 per cent
East of England - 7.3 per cent
London - 3.9 per cent
South East - 14.1 per cent
South West - 8.9 per cent
Space for People is the first UK-wide assessment of any form of greenspace and, while the targets may seem challenging, they represent the result of detailed analysis. It is aimed at decision-makers and those working on policy and practice in the planning and recreation sectors. It is hoped that it will encourage new thinking on the quantity and quality of woodland access, inform the regional forestry frameworks in England and inspire practitioners to value, perhaps for the first time, the role that woodland has to play in the greenspace debate.
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