Forestry industry welcomes increase in tree planting in England

John Bruce, National Manager for England for forestry and wood trade body Confor, spoke out after new figures showed planting was up in England - from 4,550 hectares in 2023/24 to 5,770 hectares in 2024/25, an increase of more than 25%.

Planting of fast-growing conifers was up by 58%, from 430 hectares to 680 hectares for the same period.

Mr Bruce said: “We’re not just planting more woodland; we’re starting to see some improvement in the balance of what’s being planted. These are encouraging signs, but we still need to be planting far more productive conifer forests. We must do this to reduce the UK’s long-term reliance on timber imports and to support more climate-friendly construction. Economic and environmental policy in all parts of the UK requires more productive planting, but we’re still not doing enough of it.”

He said the adoption of the Timber in Construction Roadmap by the UK Government offered a springboard to more productive planting.

“Forestry Minister Mary Creagh MP has given her backing to two important documents, the National Wood Strategy for England and the Timber in Construction Roadmap - and understands the need for much more home-grown timber, as we still import around 75% of the wood used in the UK.

"The two documents offer a clear pathway to more sustainable building construction – but to deliver the full range of benefits, we need to be planting more productive conifer forests now. Around 95% of the timber the UK uses is softwood, as highlighted in the National Wood Strategy, yet we’re still not planting enough of it.”

He continued: “The Forestry Commission has committed to making conifer woodlands 30% of all new planting. Today’s figures show an increase in that percentage from 9% to 12%, but we still have a long way to go. There has been a positive approach by the Forestry Commission in England to map areas where there is a presumption that woodland creation schemes will be approved, stricter timetables for decisions and improvements to the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO). There is much more of a can-do attitude, and we expect to see that show up
further in conifer planting figures in future years.”

On recent approvals, Mr Bruce said: “The approval of Greencroft Forest Park in County Durham is a positive signal that large-scale productive planting schemes can be delivered in England. We need to use examples like Greencroft, and more recently established sites such as Doddington North Moor in Northumberland and Bonham Plain Wood at Stourhead in Wiltshire, to promote the wide-ranging benefits of productive planting, and to continue to increase industry confidence.”

However, he stressed that all new large woodlands must surely include a productive element: “It was disappointing, for example, to see the recent launch of the Western Forest initiative make no reference to timber production or the role that productive woodland can play in supporting the rural economy, while also helping to fund future management for nature recovery and climate change mitigation. Schemes of this magnitude should reflect that.”

Mr Bruce said: “A step change would require considerable investment to deliver the quality and scale of productive forests needed – and the public and private sectors working together to help reduce barriers and unlock private capital.”

He added: “Creating the right conditions for investment in productive forestry could support the establishment of well-managed productive forests at scale – delivering net zero, rural economic growth and timber security through high-quality forests that contribute to wider environmental goals. Confor is committed to partnership working to reach that goal.”

There was also a slight increase in tree planting in Wales and Northern Ireland - but a significant fall in Scotland meant overall UK woodland creation in the UK fell from 20,660 hectares in 2023-24 to 15,690 hectares in 2024-25.

Mr Bruce concluded: “Despite the UK-wide fall, this remains the second highest annual planting total in over two decades. In England, the challenge now is to maintain momentum by increasing the creation of productive forests with more conifer species, designed to high environmental standards, and making sure the expertise, capacity and resources are in place for successful establishment in this challenging climate. That’s how we can deliver the well-designed, resilient woodlands needed for long term environmental and economic benefits.