England Tree Strategy Consultation
DEFRA have published the England Tree Strategy consultation. This consultation will enable stakeholder to provide views on how the Government can significantly increase tree establishment and woodland creation to support nature recovery, clean growth and the commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The consultation is split into four pillars:
- Expanding and Connecting trees and woodland
- Protecting and Improving our trees and woodland
- Engaging people with trees and woodland
- Supporting the economy
The England Tree Strategy will be published by the Government later this year and will set out policy priorities to deliver their ambitious tree planting programme. It will focus on expanding, protecting and improving English woodlands, and how trees and woodlands can connect people to nature, support the economy, combat climate change and recover biodiversity. The aim is that the strategy will ensure that trees are established and managed for the many benefits they provide for people, the economy, the climate and nature itself.
The Strategy is being developed in parallel with other key strategies that flow from the 25 Year Environment Plan and the future Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMs) which will operate on the basis of providing public payments for public goods (the deadline for responses to the ELMs consultat.
You can read the 46 page consultation document and submit your views here. The deadline for all comments is 11 September 2020.You can read our Members-Only briefing on the topic, here.
The consultation itself is formed of multiple-choice questions, mostly around the barriers – financial, non-financial and regulatory – to a greater uptake and management of woodland. It also asks a number of more focused questions around how policy could be used to promote agro forestry or energy crops.
As a way to get input from you all on these questions, and hear your concerns and ideas – we’ve put together a survey.
The survey will not take longer than 15 minutes to complete and you can choose which questions you respond to. We shall collate responses to create our final REA submission. The link to the survey was sent to members by email on 17th August . The deadline for completing the survey is the 1st September.