Successive lockdowns have given the British public more time and inclination to explore local woodlands.

According to Forest Research, around 50 per cent of people who have done so as a result of Covid-19 restrictions reported an increase in their level of happiness when in the woods, with over a third increasing their visits to woodland in the past year.

This growing desire to get out and connect with nature has resulted in a surge in demand for parcels of amenity woodland and has reinforced many people’s dream of owning their own piece of wilderness.

Running parallel to this demand is the Government’s ambitious target to increase tree planting rates across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this parliament – trebling current woodland creation rates. This is seen as critical to tackling climate change and habitat loss, as well as fuelling a new green economy.

Across Scotland, England and Wales there is new and emerging funding for woodland creation, as well as increased levels of funding for good woodland management. The incentives for investing in woodland creation or existing woodland management are at an all-time high.

Woodlands are habitats of enormous environmental and socio-economic value. As society grows to value these ecosystems in new and innovative ways, support from emerging private markets and funding from government schemes is increasingly being channelled into developing the environmental resilience of existing woodlands and in creating new areas of woodland with a broad range of social and environmental benefits.

As trees grow, they sequester carbon dioxide. Land managers who plant new trees on previously unwooded land can sell carbon credits to companies wanting to buy carbon offsets through the Woodland Carbon Guarantee auctions. Currently, it’s not possible to sell offsets from managing existing woods. However, it is hoped that in the future, schemes that enable managers to measure, accredit and commercialise the carbon sequestration from improved woodland management would create an incentive for better investment into existing woodlands.

For woodland creation the tree planting must be verified and accredited by a standard such as the Woodland Carbon Code and this favours the creation of both native and coniferous woodlands.

To meet the demand for forestry and horticulture, Britain is bringing in trees and plants in unprecedented quantities. According to Woodland Trust, the total value of imported trees rose from £52 million in 2016 to £100 million in 2020, a 92 per cent increase.

Against the backdrop of this demand and the pledges to plant trees in an effort to improve the environment, the importance of due diligence to the tree planting process should not be overlooked. At least 19 serious tree diseases have arrived in the UK since 1990, affecting elm, oak, beech, chestnut, alder, larch and ash – most of which have been brought in by imported trees, international freight and travel.

More can be read on controlling the spread of diseases, such as Ash Dieback here, but whether we are looking to plant trees, walking through woods for exercise or working in a woodland setting, we all have a responsibility to reduce the risk of introducing or spreading tree pests and diseases so that we can continue to enjoy the benefits of our local woodlands.

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Further information

Contact Christian Williams

Savills Spotlight: Amenity Woodland