​

Leading by example in the public sector

 

Key recommendations: ​

• Include nature restoration as a duty for the Forestry Commission. 

• Issue clear guidance to local authorities on the right place, time, and type of tree to plant.

• Amend the Highways Act 1980 and Traffic Management Act 2004 to make it easier for local authorities to plant more trees.

​

The public sector owns a significant amount of land in England - approximately eight percent. Local councils alone have been estimated to own four percent, around 1.3 million acres. With targets to protect 30% of our land for nature by 2030 and to halt species decline by the same year, we will need all hands on deck if we are to achieve them. The government should echo this sentiment by asking all public bodies to contribute their fair share towards nature recovery as a whole, and to our tree planting targets specifically. 

 

A national shortage of ecologists will increase the likelihood of mistakes made in tree planting, such as misplanting of trees of the wrong type, at the wrong time, and in the wrong place. In the course of researching this work, for example, we found one local authority which had replanted trees on the same site four times over the course of a year. This was because the saplings were repeatedly planted in an unsuitable location and during the wrong season for them to take root.

 

These dead saplings, and their cost to the public purse, could have been avoided if the local authority’s maintenance department had been aware of the right time to plant these trees, and had acted accordingly. If we are to build greener streets, parks, and neighbourhoods, the government needs to improve the guidance offered to local authorities to make it clearer on the right place, time, and type of tree to plant. This guidance will complement the government’s funding to enable local authorities to hire the qualified personnel they need. It should also be accompanied by a requirement on local authorities to keep an accurate record of their tree planting and felling activities to ensure that they can be held accountable. 

 

When done well, street trees can transform local communities and provide a multitude of benefits from urban cooling to better air quality. There is a strong correlation between urban greenery and the geography of socio-economic inequality, with the presence of this greenery having a demonstrable, positive impact on both pride in the local community and mental health. The Woodland Trust’s Tree Equity score identifies areas of the UK most in need of additional tree cover. Its map is a valuable resource that should help to inform the geographical strategy of future urban tree planting initiatives by local and national governments. 

 

Unfortunately, where local authorities could and should plant more trees, red tape frequently prevents them from doing so. The Highways Act 1980 and Traffic Management Act 2004 are important pieces of legislation to manage the use, maintenance, and condition of roads across the UK. A report published last year from Create Streets found that these provisions for local authorities to maintain free-flowing roads are often misinterpreted as a means to prevent them from planting more trees. The licensing rules established within Section 142 of the Highways Act should be relaxed to make it easier for local residents to plant street trees.

 

The government should also publish new statutory guidance for local authorities on how to improve green coverage across our streets, roads, and highways. This guidance should prioritise planting along strategic routes in our towns and cities, to reclaim these spaces for pedestrians. These small changes could help to create greener, healthier streets fit for the future. 

 

Another public sector actor, which is charged with caring for our nation’s woods and trees, is the Forestry Commission. Established in 1919, the Forestry Commission’s primary purpose was to strengthen the nation’s timber security through the creation of new public forests and a bolstered timber industry. The public estate has grown significantly and the commission is now one of the largest landowners in the UK. And yet, despite this expansion, the UK remains a major importer of timber and we are still not planting trees at the rate we need to meet demand. 

 

Additionally, with the threat of biodiversity loss looming large in landscapes across the UK, it is important that the Forestry Commission plays its part in halting the decline of nature on its land. This should include the commission reviewing its own land portfolio to make sure that it is delivering for nature alongside forestry growth, and passing on land, such as that which is no longer forested, to land managers with the necessary expertise to continue restoring these habitats.

 

Updating the remit of this public body to reflect the realities of the present day will ensure that the UK’s largest landowner and the forestry regulator is playing its part in protecting and restoring nature alongside encouraging a thriving commercial forestry sector.