When it comes to tree planting, two things can be true at once

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TOO few trees are being planted, but significant progress was made last year. In the case of the UK, neither statement is mutually exclusive.

The UK did make great strides during the 2023/24 planting season, creating a little under 21,000 hectares of new woodland, far greater than the 12,000 ha of the 12 months prior and the highest total for more than 30 years.

But, at the same time, this is still only a little over two-thirds of the recommended annual tally of 30,000 ha (and that's before we get into the lack of coniferous planting).

These two opposing but equally true statements were thrust into the spotlight again last week with the publication of a new report into the UK's net-zero ambitions. Penned by the country's most senior climate advisors, it was pretty scathing.

The Climate Change Committee said woodland creation rates will need to "more than double" to get as close to the country's annual goal of 30,000 hectares (albeit this appears to be referring to the 2022/23 season).

Members of the CCC argued that more "effective delivery mechanisms, complete with required funding, support, and plans to unlock private finance" are "urgently needed". While forestry is devolved, the report noted that all four nations must provide "more effective" policies to step up woodland creation.

Stuart Goodall said the report highlighted the importance of forestry to the economy and climate

Writing in the report, officials argued: "Rates of tree planting and peatland restoration need to increase in the near term."

You'll struggle to find a forester who – despite the recent progress – disagrees.

"The latest CCC report is very timely and underscores what Confor has been advocating for years – that tree planting is a critical tool in our fight against climate change and that we’re not doing enough of it," is how Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor, summed it up. “Increased woodland creation will help deliver the Labour government’s priority objective of growing the economy."