To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tree planting programmes are in existence; and what plans she has to increase forestland in the UK. [115153]
Forestry is a devolved matter and the forestry strategies for each country in the UK set out the priorities for woodland planting and management. An average of 17,600 hectares of new woodland has been planted annually in the UK over the past 10 years.
In England, we give grants for planting new woodland under the Woodland Grant Scheme and the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme. We also provide support for initiatives such as the National Forest and the Community Forests.
The Forestry Commission and Defra published their response to the "Policy Review of Woodland Creation in England Under the Woodland Grant Scheme and the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme" in April this year. This is available on the Forestry Commission"s website (www.forestry.gov.uk). It is planned to introduce revised measures in support of new planting in 2005. At the moment, our target is to create 30,000 hectares of new woodland over the seven year period, 2000–06, of the England Rural Development Programme.