Trees are seemingly everywhere, and yet we are still not planting enough of them. It is time to accept that charitable efforts and public money can only go so far. We need to unleash the power of the private sector.
We all know that trees are inherently good things. The national response to the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree attests to the emotional connection we have with them. They are environmental stalwarts, providing us and many other creatures with cleaner air, shade, sustenance, and safety. In spite of their individual and societal value, we do not have enough of them.
As one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, we need more trees. Their root networks support the integrity of river beds and soil, forming a natural defence against flooding. Their biomass locks in carbon from our atmosphere and will be integral in our journey towards net zero emissions by 2050.
Recognising this need, the government set an ambitious target to plant 30,000 hectares of woodland annually in the UK by March 2025. The scale of this challenge combined with ever tighter public budgets means we cannot solely rely on the public sector for delivery. Nor do I believe that we should.
There are businesses out there wanting to invest in high integrity nature restoration projects. Their reasons vary, whether ensuring the integrity of supply chain products, for an internal ESG project, or to help them to reduce their emissions, but the outcome remains the same: to restore the natural environment.
Equally, there are farmers and land managers who want to deliver for nature on their land but they should not be expected to do it merely out of the goodness of their hearts. They need to be paid an appropriate amount for the vital service they are providing to society. So what is holding them back?
The answer is simple: incentives or rather, a lack thereof. For the private sector, the question of planting trees at the moment is not so much a question of “why not?”, but rather “why bother?” The financial incentives to plant often simply do not add up to an attractive business proposition.
The Woodland Carbon Code, a government-backed voluntary standard for woodland creation projects, goes some way to providing financial incentives for land managers wanting to plant trees. However, while the code’s efforts are noble, after ten years of operation, the proof is now in the pudding. It has not delivered enough trees. The per unit price is simply too low to provide a big enough incentive for the market to get involved.
It does not need to be this way. In fact, the economics of tree planting could be improved significantly through its inclusion as a method of abatement in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) – our greenhouse gas emissions compliance trading system which brings down emissions through competition. Doing so could raise the price of an individual Woodland Carbon Code credit by up to 67 per cent, becoming the incentive many land managers and businesses are looking for.
It is vital that these units delivered under the ETS reflect genuine emissions abatement. Strong standards are needed to ensure the planting would not have happened without the payment, and that those issuing credits are required to replace units that have been destroyed or damaged.
There is also a question of where all of these new trees and woodlands should go. Land that is unsuitable for growing food, because of its soil quality or harsh weather, should be prioritised for growing trees.
A streamlining of the much-maligned application process for woodland creation in the areas that are most suited – “Forestry Creation Zones” – could also help fast-track potential planters toward the relevant funding pots in the right areas across England. This should be combined with a proactive identification of these sites and outreach to land managers located within them to promote the available grants and financial opportunities.
However, any change needs to be done with consent. Welsh farmers’ protests against the devolved government’s rigid tree planting targets show the importance of working with – not against – farmers. This should not be a top-down diktat, but rather a genuine incentive for the stewards of our natural environment.
There is no denying that the public and charitable sectors have been playing their part to meet our national tree planting targets. However, it would be disingenuous to pretend these efforts are enough. We need to unleash the private sector. Adding trees into the ETS and establishing Forestry Creation Zones can help to do this.
First published by ReactionLife. Kitty Thompson is the Conservative Environment Network's Senior Nature Programme Manager.