Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of trees that have been planted as a result of Government policies in each year since 2010.

By the end of September 2018 at least 15.2 million trees have been planted with government support since April 2010, equivalent to approximately 12,900 hectares of woodland.

The Government’s support for this woodland creation has predominantly been from the Countryside Stewardship scheme and its predecessor, the England Woodland Grant Scheme. Further Government support has been through the Environment Agency and National Forest Company.

In the Autumn Budget the Government announced an additional £60 million for tree planting initiatives, comprising £10 million to fund urban tree planting and £50 million for a Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme. This will add to other new planting in the pipeline, supported by the High Speed 2 Woodland Fund, the Woodland Carbon Fund and the Government’s kick start investment in the Northern Forest.

The Government is also committed to planting 11 million trees in this Parliament (2017-2022). Woodland creation is a key part of our 25 Year Environment Plan.