What is holding back woodland creation in the UK? - Why are we not meeting tree planting targets?

Many challenges face those attempting large scale woodland creation in the UK. From historical and cultural issues to problems with process and planning, this film discusses what is holding back woodland creation. Our series wood for the trees explores the future of UK forests from varied perspectives. In this film we talk to woodland managers, foresters, rewilders, land owners and campaigners to find out why the UK is not meeting it's tree planting targets.

If there are so many important reasons to plant trees, why are they not being planted?

The government set targets to plant 30,000 hectares of trees per year but the UK is not even halfway towards this. We know there is political ambition and public support to plant more trees, and we know there is public and private financial support available for tree planting and to establish woodland.

To find out what might be holding back woodland creation, we sought out those people involved in establishing large scale woodland creation schemes (or at least trying to do so). We asked them to explain some of the factors and issues involved.

Many thanks to our guests for being so helpful, thoughtful, and generous with their time.

Caroline Ayre MICFor, Director, Evolving Forests, evolvingforests.com
Harriet Bell Regenerative Farming Lead, Riverford.co.uk
John Deakin Head of Trees & Woodlands, nationaltrust.org.uk/
Prof Alastair Driver FCIEEM, Director, Rewilding Britain, rewildingbritain.org.uk
Derek Gow Farmer, Nature Conservationist and Author, keepitwild.co.uk
Ed Green 7th generation farmer at Chesterblade Hills, chills.org.uk
Gabriel Hemery, Forest Scientist, author and CEO of the Sylva Foundation, sylva.org.uk
Liz Nicholson, Chartered Environmentalist, Managing Director- Nicholsons Nicholsonsgb.com, Director, forestcanopyfoundation.co.uk
Nick Philips, Forestry Policy, WoodlandTrust. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/

Wood for the Trees is a series of short films on the future of forests from environmentalist film maker Charly Le Marchant and sawmiller and timber merchant Tom Barnes.

Find out more about the series at Woodforthetrees.uk

£1.8 Billion deficit from woodland planting comes from the Forest Canopy Research Foundation.

Thanks also to The Agroforestry Show/Soil Association/Woodland Trust/Edd Colbert for inviting us to film at Helen Brownings farm from which we gathered shots of agroforestry in action.

Thanks also to those (not on film), such as Phil Sturgeon of Protect Earth, who have been open to sharing the similar challenges they have been facing planting trees across the devolved nations of the UK.