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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the planting of mature trees.

The Government does not offer any direct support to plant mature trees. The Government recognises that planting larger older trees can be a key element in landscaping urban development and an important component of green infrastructure. However, the transportation of mature trees and the soil associated with their roots is a significant pathway in the transportation and establishment of tree pests and diseases, such as Oak Processionary Moth. Therefore the Government strongly recommends that those planting mature trees should source trees that have been grown in the UK or supplied from nurseries with adequate biosecurity procedures in place.