Woodland creation targets

Woodland

• Trees and forests are crucial to life on our planet. They generate oxygen, store carbon, play host to a spectacular variety of wildlife, and provide us with raw materials and shelter.
• Wildwood covered almost all of the UK after the Ice Age.
• The UK is now one of the least wooded countries in Europe. Less than 12% of the UK is woodland compared with the average for European countries of 46%.
• In 1980, native species accounted for only about 5% of trees planted in the UK; in 2000, the figure was over 40%.
• Ancient woodland, more than 400 hundred years old, covers only 2% of Great Britain.
• Nearly 50% of what little remained of the UK's ancient woodland in the 1930s has been lost or damaged, through conversion to conifer plantation, clearance for agriculture and development.
• Ancient woodland is our richest wildlife habitat and is irreplaceable.
• 85% of ancient woodland is unprotected by statutory designations such as SSSI.
• Ancient woodland is fragmented, with over 8 out of 10 woods being less than 20 hectares (50 acres).