Nature Recovery Green Paper

The Green Paper includes proposals to ensure the nation’s public forests deliver on the many benefits of woodlands and to encourage tree planting by reducing the bureaucratic burden through a variety of proposals. In summary these forest-specific proposals include: 

• Strengthening the commitment on no net reduction in size of the nation’s forests managed by Forestry England    
• Considering new statutory duties and powers for the Forestry Commission, which reflect the social and environmental importance of its woodlands as well as their timber value    
• A proposal to establish priority areas for woodland creation by completing large scale ‘Afforestation Strategic Assessments’.  
• A proposal to remove the woodland permanency requirements for certain kinds of woodland creation project meaning restocking after felling would not be required and land could be reverted to agricultural use. 

Please send comments to caroline@confor.org.uk