Conservationists call on government to save Britain’s woodlands which are now at risk of ‘critical decline’

BRITAIN’S stunning forests and ancient woodlands will disappear unless the government takes action to save them, experts have warned.

Our wooded areas are now at risk of “critical decline” and must be protected as a matter of urgency, leading conservationists have said.

The latest figures reveal fewer trees were planted last year than ever before, and major building projects such as the HS2 rail link threaten existing woodlands, with half of our ancient woodland having been lost since the 1930s.

Woodland cover in England – once considered a stronghold for native trees such as beech, ash, birch and oak – stands at just 13%. Experts say tree planting must be increased to help tackle environmental issues such as air pollution.

Woodland cover across the UK is at just 13 per cent

URGENT ACTION

According to conservationists our ancient woods and trees may start to disappear for good if we don’t take urgent action. The term ancient woodland is used to refer specifically to areas that have existed continuously since the start of the 17th century or before.

Whereas as much as 90% of Britain consisted of woodland 6,000 years ago, by the beginning of the 20th century this figure had dropped to just 5% as forests were cleared for intensive farming. Since then, efforts to tackle deforestation through both protection and replanting have only seen significant improvements in numbers of conifers being planted for commercial use.

TARGET MISSED

The most recent figures, released by the Forestry Commission, showed just 700 hectares of new woodland was planted in the year 2015-16, missing an agreed annual target of 5,000 hectares by 86%. A number of factors have hindered attempts by the Forestry Commission to bolster planting. These include a lack of grant money to encourage planting, and an increasing pressure from new roads, railways and homes.

90 per cent fewer hedgehogs today than in the 1950s

The Government’s HS2 high-speed rail project, for example, is set to either damage or destroy 63 ancient woodlands. Britain’s woodlands have provided the backdrop to some of the most significant episodes in our nation’s history.

Records show that Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire has existed for more than 10,000 years, since the last Ice Age came to an end.

Campaigners are now calling on communities, schools and individuals across the UK to join forces and put pressure on politicians to act before the nation’s woods and trees are lost forever.

The decline in numbers

Experts described the statistics as “shocking”

• 100 irreplaceable ancient woods lost in the last decade alone.

• Over 600 ancient woodlands currently under threat.

• Target for 2015/2016 tree planting in England missed by 86 per cent.

• UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe.

• 100,000 miles of hedgerow, including many thousands of individual trees, destroyed in last ten years due to development/changes in farming practices.

• 72 per cent of British butterfly species have declined since 2005, in part due to a loss of habitat.

• 44 million fewer nesting birds in the UK since 1966, again due to changes in the land use and management of countryside.

• Increasing numbers of pests and diseases attacking trees in the UK due to climate change and rising tree imports carrying infections.