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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 23 June (HL368), how many young trees were imported for non-forest reproductive purposes, as monitored through the statutory notification schemes administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, in the planting seasons 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15.

The data provided relates to all tree notifications received regarding imports under the statutory notification scheme, administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. This data combines the number of notifications from the start of the scheme in January 2013. These notifications cover the species elm, oak, ash, pine, plane and sweet chestnut from the dates they were added to the statutory notification scheme.

No notifications were received for ash, as movement restrictions have been in place since 2012 due to ash dieback.

This data does not distinguish whether a tree is young or not. Notification of age is not a requirement under the scheme and is therefore not recorded.

In summary, 3548 notifications were received covering approximately 1.6 million trees.