Further £10m boost for forestry in Wales

Anthony Geddes said he was delighted with the support for round 10 of the Glastir Woodland Creation and Restoration scheme, as well as a new round of the Timber Business Investment Scheme.

Mr Geddes said: "This is tremendous news and will give real confidence to investors, landowners and managers to create new woodland in Wales. We know there is significant demand to plant - more than than 4200 hectares of applications this year already - and this new funding means we can look forward to a strong planting pipeline developing in 2021." 

He thanked Lesley Griffiths, Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, for her commitment to forestry and Wales’s rural future.

Mr Geddes continued: "This is another significant step towards meeting decarbonisation targets - and it goes hand in hand with the economic benefits this will bring to our rural areas and our preparation to grow more timber to meet a future surge in demand.

"We will see vital new jobs in rural Wales, and this funding will pump-prime investment into planting to start heading towards the target of creating 4000 hectares of new woodland every year as soon as possible."

Mr Geddes also welcomed the timber business investment scheme and said he hoped it would continue the work of the Forest Industry Recovery Scheme, launched recently. 

The announcement was part of a three-year funding package for rural development of Wales of more than £100 million.