Trust says Executive must deliver on vision for woodland
Northern Ireland is languishing at the bottom of the European tree league. We have less woodland than almost any other country, with woods here covering a mere six per cent of the landscape, compared to the European average of 44 per cent. The message comes from the Woodland Trust, who today called upon the Northern Ireland Executive and its relevant departments to take urgent action for the future of woodland with its manifesto ‘A vision for woodland in Northern Ireland’.
The Trust wants the Executive to deliver on its commitment to double Northern Ireland’s woodland cover over the next 50 years. It also calls for protection for ancient woodland and cites the fact that many of the country’s oldest woods have been lost in recent years. In total, 273 ancient and long-established woods have been cleared since the 1960s.
Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, William McCrea MP MLA, appeared at Stormont today (20 October 2008) to receive the Trust’s new document.
Lee Bruce, government affairs officer with the Woodland Trust, said: “Woodland greatly contributes to our quality of life by offering recreation, health and wildlife benefits. Legislative change, in the form of the proposed Forestry Act, is needed to protect, restore and expand our fragile woodland resource.” He continued: “Delivery of the Executive’s commitment to double woodland cover over the next 50 years would require more than trebling the current rate of tree planting.”1
Receiving the document, Dr McCrea commented: “As chair of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, I welcome the Woodland Trust’s publication. Woodland is important to so many aspects of our lives and is a vital contributor to the ecosystem upon which we are all dependent for our very survival. Crucially the forthcoming Forestry Act must guarantee that all ancient woodland is protected and where necessary restored, and that new woods are created where it benefits wildlife and people.”
The document sets out a number of proposals for the Executive’s consideration including:
• Protection for ancient woodland: Ancient woodland (land wooded since at least 1600) is a rare and precious resource covering only 0.08 per cent of the Northern Ireland landscape. It is one of our richest wildlife habitats, our equivalent of the rainforest, yet remains under threat from development. Today only 9,964 hectares of ancient and long-established woodland remain in the whole of Northern Ireland. The Woodland Trust is calling for the Northern Ireland Executive to afford absolute legislative protection for this finite resource.
• Felling licences: The Trust is calling for increased protection for all woodland through the re-introduction of felling licences. Northern Ireland remains the only country in the UK where felling licences are not employed to control the felling of woodland.
• Woodland expansion: The Woodland Trust welcomes the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s intention to double Northern Ireland’s woodland cover over the next 50 years. The Trust, however, wants to see a clear strategy for this expansion, including targets for the rate and location of new planting. In particular, there is a need for new woodland which buffers and protects our remaining fragments of ancient woodland, providing extended wildlife habitats.
• Access and recreation: New woodland creation, according to the conservation charity, should also be targeted where there is currently a lack of public access. Trees, woods and green spaces offer demonstrable health benefits, facilitating both physical and mental well-being.
For a copy of the document ‘A vision for woodland in Northern Ireland’ click here or telephone the Woodland Trust on 028 9127 5787.
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Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
Kaye Coates at the Woodland Trust on 028 9127 5787 or
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, e-mail media@woodland-trust.org.uk
1 Woodland creation targets
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s forestry strategy (launched in 2006) included a commitment to double Northern Ireland’s woodland cover over 50 years. It is estimated that Northern Ireland has 87,000 hectares of woodland; there would therefore be a need to plant an average of 1,740 hectares of new woodland per annum. However, the current Programme for Government commits to planting only 1,650 hectares between 2008 and 2011. This is an average of only 550 hectares per annum for that period. The current Programme for Government target would therefore need to be tripled in order to achieve the Department’s target of doubling woodland cover.
The Woodland Trust: The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: i) No further loss of ancient woodland; ii) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; iii) Increasing new native woodland; iv) Increasing people’s understanding and enjoyment of woodland.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free. Further news can be found at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Here in Northern Ireland the Woodland Trust cares for 52 woods. These woods contain a mix of newly created community woodland, mature woodland and ancient woodland (land continuously wooded since 1600). We have also created the first comprehensive record of ancient woodland in Northern Ireland. Visit www.backonthemap.org.uk
