Wales is falling short on tree planting, jeopardising both its economic and environmental future, according to forestry experts.

Only 640 hectares of new woodland were created last year, just 12% of the Welsh government’s annual target of 5,000 hectares.

The Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor) criticised the situation, stating that “Wales is going backwards” and warning that the country’s reliance on imported timber leaves it “very vulnerable.” They emphasised the urgent need for rapid forest planting to meet environmental goals.

The Welsh government is reportedly collaborating with stakeholders to develop a timber industrial strategy aimed at supporting and expanding the industry. However, recent statistics from Forest Research show a decline in new woodland, with only 640 hectares planted in 2023-2024, down from nearly 1,200 hectares the previous year.

Elaine Harrison from Confor said: “These are dismal figures, especially when the UK-wide picture is much brighter.

“Both Scotland and England planted far more woodland than the previous year and the overall UK total was up significantly.

“Yet Wales is going backwards – and this failure is failing our rural economy, where we could be creating jobs and growth, and our environment, as we need to plant far more trees to address the climate emergency.”

Unlike Scotland and England, Wales lacks a system to identify and assess degraded upland areas suitable for tree planting, according to experts.

In Wales, she said it has become “easier to plant on improved agricultural land, which is something we don’t want to happen,” and she called for a “radical review” of the Welsh government’s approach.

She added that conservationists, farmers and forestries were “all competing over the land mass of Wales, and what we need to do is work out a way of working together”.

To achieve Wales’ goals of 43,000 hectares of new woodland by 2030 and 180,000 hectares by 2050, 5,000 hectares need to be planted annually. Yet, despite Maelor Forest Nurseries in Wrexham growing 35 million trees each year, fewer than 10% are planted in Wales.

Forestry consultant Iwan Lloyd-Williams highlighted the urgency, noting that even fast-growing conifers like Sitka Spruce take 30-40 years to mature, making immediate action essential.

“If we don’t do it now we’re going to miss the boat,” he said.

He added the Welsh government’s desire to hit net-zero by 2050 was a “great ambition,” but the industry was fighting “bureaucracy, the red tape and the length of time of the process to get through the planning stage before a tree is planted”.

The demand for timber, particularly in construction, is expected to rise with the growing emphasis on sustainable materials.

“We need housing. With the population growing, where’s the timber going to come from in the future?

“We should be building Welsh homes from Welsh timber.”

A major revision of farming subsidies in Wales, under the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), was postponed until 2026 after widespread protests. The SFS, intended to fund farming post-Brexit, would have required farmers to allocate 10% of their land to trees and another 10% to wildlife habitats, sparking backlash.

Iwan Parry, regional manager for Tilhill Forestry, argued that forcing farmers to dedicate 10% of productive land to trees was a misstep.

“I’m not sure that was the right way to go about it,” he said.

Forestry and farming industries needed to work together to reach a consensus, he said, adding: “There are opportunities on farms, there’s no doubt – but not on all farms.

“It suits some farmers to plant trees and it doesn’t suit other farmers to plant trees.

“We need to look back at this and see a way forward.

“We have to produce food, but we also have to produce timber for construction and homes and houses and everything else.”

 

——————————————————————————

At Natural World Fund, we are passionate about rewilding the UK to stop the decline in our wildlife.

Donate now and join in the solution!