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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on the ecological restoration and improvement of a) privately owned woodland, b) ancient woodland and c) plantations on ancient woodland sites in each of the last three years.

There are a number of different Government funded actions that contribute to ecological restoration and improvement of woodland in England, so it is not possible to give a precise answer to this question.

The Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) option WD2 – woodland improvement, administered by the Rural Payments Agency and supported by the Forestry Commission, covers activities in England aimed at improving woodland condition and biodiversity. This includes interventions such as thinning, selective felling, pest control, and habitat enhancement; and can include restoration of ancient woodland for the relevant landowners.

This is one option available to support ecological restoration and improvement of woodlands and the spend for this option over the past three years is as follows (note we do not have the data required to differentiate between privately owned woodland and other ownership).

2022: £11,591,832

2023: £13,014,527

2024: £19,314,485

A supplemental action is also available under CSHT to restore and maintain plantations on ancient woodlands sites (WS2). This supplements WD2 and is verified before agreement to be on a plantation on ancient woodland site. This was first available in 2023 and the spend for this over 2023-24 is:

2023: £79,266

2024: £555,703