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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of protection for mature trees outside Tree Preservation Orders and Conservation Areas; and whether she plans to review protections for existing tree cover.

Existing protections for important trees are provided through National Planning Policy Framework and Biodiversity Net Gain Regulations. Defra has conducted a review into the threats and the effectiveness of existing protection measures for England’s most valuable trees. Any future actions will be set out in the forthcoming Trees Action Plan.