The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, Ips Typographus, which has caused widespread damage to forests across Europe, has so far not been found on the island of Ireland.

However, the Irish Forest Owners (IFO) group has said that if this pest should be allowed to gain entry through the importation of timber with bark on it, it would be a “national disaster” and would make the ash dieback emergency look simple.

Governments have issued advice stating that these kinds of beetles often tunnel into the bark of living trees to lay its eggs.

The larvae then feed and develop, forming galleries that weaken, and in some cases kill, the host tree.

In a statement, the IFO said: “As things stand, we import substantial quantities of logs with bark on for processing by Irish sawmills.

“Much of this timber comes from Scotland. Recently, the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle was discovered in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland and consequently there is an increased risk associated with the importation of those logs.”

Scottish Forestry has said, however, that its surveillance programme to check for pests and diseases in Scotland’s forests is proving a success.

This single finding of an Ips typographus beetle was located on a trap in a Fife woodland. Tree health experts believe it is most likely to have come in on the back of goods being shipped at Grangemouth.

Forest owners call for ban

The IFO said it wants to highlight the continued risks involved in the importation of logs that have not been debarked onto this island.

“We ask the Minister for Agriculture to take urgent action to deal with this increasing risk to protect the future of the forest industry in Ireland,” the group stated.

“Specifically, we suggest they liaise with their counterpart in Northern Ireland to adopt an all-Island approach to defend our Protected Zone Status against this and other bark beetle pests.

“Unless the department can absolutely guarantee that the inspections at ports throughout the island of Ireland are sufficient to prevent the important of the bark beetle, a ban on the importation of timber that is not bark-free must be issued.”

IFO said that all foresters, forest owners and other stakeholders are asked to be vigilant for unusual ill-health in trees or evidence of bark beetle and report any concerns to the department.

The post Forest owners want ban on timber with bark amid concern for ‘disaster’ appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Alternatives to tree planting can achieve equivalent reductions in emissions while also delivering a broad range of benefits, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has said.

The union has outlined these benefits at the Plaid Cymru conference, which takes place today (Friday, October 6) and tomorrow (Saturday, October 7) in Aberystwyth.

Hosting a fringe event today, the FUW said tree planting is just one of the many ways in which net Welsh carbon emissions can be reduced.

The FUW highlighted that in 2019, Welsh energy production was responsible for 10,953,000t of CO2 emissions.

Offsetting this, union’s officials stressed, would require around 1.1 million hectares of land to be planted with trees.

FUW president Ian Rickman said: “If all current Welsh emissions were to be offset by tree planting, this would require an area around twice the size of Wales to be planted with trees.”

Rickman said there are a number of alternatives that can be adopted on-farm to achieve the equivalent reduction in emissions and that many can have multiple benefits – not only for individual farms but also on Welsh society in general.

“These could include renewable energy production, other forms of carbon storage and sequestration or improving livestock efficiency,” he said.

“As we move towards the final consultation phase of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), we want to see a scheme that looks at farming and climate change as a collective rather than in isolation.

“For instance, planting trees and offshoring our food production to places with far worse emissions and environmental standards will actually make matters worse on a global level.”

Trees

Delegates heard from the FUW that for large numbers of farms, meeting the 10% tree cover requirement would severely impact on their viability and capacity to produce food, while for certain categories of farm meeting such a requirement would be impossible.

Under current proposals, this would prevent them from being able to access any form of support through the SFS, the union said.

“We know that the Welsh government recognised a number of farm types and land categories where meeting this threshold would not be possible – but far more concessions are needed if large numbers of farm businesses are to avoid severe impacts,” Rickman said.

“Tree planting is just one of the many ways in which net Welsh carbon emissions can be reduced.

“We want to see an SFS that has flexibility so farmers can engage with a scheme that works for their businesses and achieves the outcomes Welsh government are looking for.”

The FUW also highlighted that, under its plans, the Welsh government also aims to see Wales meet 100% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2035.

However, as demand for electric vehicles and other alternatives to fossil fuels increases, electricity demand is also set to increase, the union said.

FUW head of policy, Dr Nick Fenwick, said: “It’s estimated that this will increase demand for electricity in the UK by around 10% of current UK production by 2030, rising to between 20% and 33% by 2050 and increasing production of hydrogen for use as an alternative to fossil fuels in certain vehicles will also increase demand for electricity (which is used to create hydrogen).”

The post Tree planting alternatives can achieve similar reductions in emissions – FUW appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The UK government has announced an additional £1 million in funding for training courses in forestry and arboriculture across England.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission announced the funding yesterday (Thursday, September 21) and said it was due to “exceptional demand”.

The funding joins the £675 million from the UK government’s Nature for Climate Fund and is primarily aimed at those considering changing their careers to one in forestry or arboriculture (tree cultivation), as well as those already working in the sector.

Defra and the Forestry Commission said the funding will create more green jobs and boost the workforce of 30,000 even further.

The new funding will cover training courses in a range of areas, including:

• Chainsaw operation;
• Operating heavy machinery;
• Planning and planting new woodland;
• Deer management;
• Marketing and selling timber;
• Aerial tree pruning; and
• Branch removal.

The Forestry and Arboriculture Fund

Formerly known as the Forestry Training Fund, the Forestry and Arboriculture Fund has received “exceptionally high uptake” since its launch in February this year, with over 150 short course training providers having registered to offer courses and 1,100 training places already funded for the next two years, Defra said.

The fund has now been extended to cover arboriculture courses, with £250,000 ringfenced specifically for courses which cover the care, management and safety of amenity trees, through skills such as aerial tree pruning, branch removal, and assisted felling. 

Forestry Minister, Trudy Harrison said: “As tree-planting and woodlands across the country increase, so must our forestry workforce. 

“We are committed to growing the sector and increasing green jobs which will be made possible through this significant funding of Forestry and Arboriculture courses, as we continue to ensure at least 16.5% of the country is covered in trees by 2050.”

Forestry Commission chief executive, Richard Stanford said: “England’s forestry sector plays an essential part in creating resilient forests and woodlands which improve our natural environment, helping meet net zero carbon emissions, provide a sustainable source of home-grown timber and boost people’s health and wellbeing.

“The additional funding provided through the Forestry and Arboriculture Training Fund, will ensure that more people across the country, from all backgrounds, are able to build and diversify their skills in forestry.

“I encourage anyone looking to join the sector or upskill to apply today.”

The post Further £1m in funding allocated for forestry courses due to ‘exceptional demand’ appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Beef and Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) released a report last week on whether changes were needed to the country’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) as it relates to the beef and lamb sectors.

It follows the closing of a consultation the New Zealand government ran on the design and functioning of its ETS.

The B+LNZ-commissioned report highlighted concern with the current ETS model over the scale at which whole farms are being sold for forestry, while impeding farmers’ ability to diversify through forestry.

Sam McIvor, B+LNZ’s chief executive, commented: “B+LNZ has long argued that action needs to address the scale and pace of whole farms being sold into forestry as a result of the increasing carbon price and the resulting effects on rural communities.

He added: “Many farmers also see opportunities to grow their income from carbon revenue from on-farm planting as part of diversifying their farm systems, so there needs to be a balance found in the policy settings.

The report said that a combination of short-term and long term changes are needed to New Zealand’s ETS.

Particularly, the report calls for changes to the ‘permanent’ category of the ETS, as it can be more quickly reformed and, without limits placed on planting, this could be a category that drives significant land-use change to the ETS.

“One of the main changes to the permanent category of the ETS [the report] proposes is excluding exotic plantings except in certain circumstances. It notes that, in future, however, further changes to the ETS that target other categories are likely to be required,” McIvor said.

According to the B+LNZ chief executive, the report is “another example of growing consensus on the need for policy changes to address the issue of wholesale land-use change”.

“The scale and pace of land use change we are currently seeing is far more than what is recommended by the Climate Change Commission and will have a negative impact on rural communities, food production and export income, which affects all New Zealanders,” he commented.

The beef and lamb promotion body is also concerned with the current rules regarding the use of forestry to offset fossil fuel emissions.

McIvor said: “New Zealand is one of the only countries in the world that allows fossil fuel emitters to offset 100% of their emissions.

He added: “Forestry offsets are a key component of a scheme designed to enable our country to meet emissions-reduction targets set in legislation. But they are a tool that must be managed in a way that enables sustainable and equitable social, economic, and environmental outcomes for generations to come.”

The post New Zealand: Concern over ‘whole farms’ being sold into forestry appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The analysis showed this is the equivalent to losing 11 football fields of forest per minute. This forest loss produced 2.7Gts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

This increased loss comes in the first year after heads of 145 countries vowed in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use to halt and reverse forest loss by the end of the decade.

Director of WRI’s Global Forest Watch, Mikaela Weisse told journalists in a briefing:

“Since the turn of the century, we have seen a haemorrhaging of some of the world’s most important forest ecosystems despite years of efforts to turn that trend around.

“We are rapidly losing one of our most effective tools for combating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and supporting the health and livelihoods of millions of people.”

Brazil remains the country with the most tropical forest loss. In 2022 it accounted for 43% of the global total.

Its 1.8 million hectares lost resulted in 1.2Gt of CO2 emissions.

Forest loss in other areas

Forest loss increased in the two countries with the most tropical forest, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The analysis stated that non fire-related losses in Brazil are most often due to deforestation.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, half a million hectares were destroyed in 2022.

The analysis stated that the main drivers for the destruction included: Subsistence agriculture and the small scale production of charcoal made by cutting and burning timber.

Forest loss also rapidly increased in other nations like Ghana and Bolivia. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Malaysia have managed to keep rates near record-low levels.

The analysis stated that forest fires in tropical nations like Bolivia, are usually set for “agricultural purposes”, such as regenerating grasslands for grazing and clearing for cropland, or to claim land.

Other countries rounding out the “top 10” in tropical forest loss worldwide last year include: Peru (3.9 %); Colombia (3.1%); Laos (2.3%); Cameroon (1.9%); Papua New Guinea (1.8%); and Malaysia (1.7%).

The rest of the world combined accounted for just under 15% of forest lost in 2022.

The post Brazil continues to have the biggest loss of tropical forest area appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry Commission has introduced new legislation which will allow for the movement of large oak trees and trade within the operational zones and boundaries that are in place to help manage oak processionary moths (OPM).

A new demarcated area will be established around the buffer zone and established area and large oak trees with a girth at 1.2m above the root collar of 8cm or more can be moved within this boundary.

This is provided that the trees are moved by professional operators and that biosecurity requirements are met, along with movement restrictions.

“While we understand the importance of professional operators being able to move large oak trees, it is vital that we have in place stringent biosecurity requirements to ensure a risk-based approach for moving these trees,” Oak processionary moth project manager, Andrew Hoppit said.

The OPM is a tree pest which can “have a negative impact on tree health” he added.

As well as this, Hoppit highlighted the impacts it can have on humans, which includes itchy rashes and eye and throat irritations.

Earlier this month, the Forestry Commission urged the public to report sightings of the tree pest, highlighting that the greatest risk period for it is between June and August as the OPM caterpillars emerge to feed before turning into adult moths.

UK chief plant health officer, Prof. Nicola Spence, added: “Healthy oak trees are a vital component of a biodiverse and thriving environmental landscape.

“They are Great Britain’s most important tree for species biodiversity, supporting over 2000 species of bird, mammal, fungi, invertebrate, bryophyte and lichen.

“This is why it is essential that to protect the health of our oak trees, we have regulations in place for the movement of large oak trees within the zones and boundaries designed to manage OPM.”

The post Legislation to further oak-tree movement in OPM zones appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry Commission has today (Thursday, May 11) urged the public to report sightings of oak processionary moth (OPM) caterpillars.

The forestry regulator said the greatest risk period for the tree pest is between June and August, as the caterpillars emerge to feed before turning into adult moths.

The oak processionary moth, first identified in London in 2006, has since spread to some surrounding counties in the South East.

Oak processionary moth caterpillars feed on the leaves of several species of oak tress and can cause the trees to lose their leaves, negatively impacting their growth and leaving them more vulnerable to other stresses like drought.

In humans, the caterpillars and their nests contain hairs which can cause itchy rashes and eye and throat irritations. The Forestry Commission said they should not be touched under any circumstances.

Oak processionary moth project manager, Andrew Hoppit, said: “As we enter the greatest risk period for oak processionary moth, it’s important that those living in affected areas understand the health risks so that they can be vigilant when enjoying outdoor spaces.

“The Forestry Commission has a whole host of information online that can be used to identify the moth, simply visit managing oak processionary moth in England.

“If you spot the pest, report the sighting via our TreeAlert portal.”

OPM and oak health

A UK government programme to manage OPM has been in place since 2012 and has seen £10 million invested into oak health over the last five years.

The investment targeted the management of OPM as well as research to develop novel control techniques and new policy responses.

In March of this year, the Forestry Commission updated operational zones and boundaries in a bid to manage the spread of the pest.

Prof. Nicola Spence, UK Chief Plant Health Officer, said: “Our oak trees are an iconic part of our British landscape.

“Reporting any sightings of oak processionary moth to the Forestry Commission will both minimise the pest’s spread and reduce the damaging impact it poses to tree health.

“The caterpillars and their nests can also cause irritation when touched by members of the public. As such, I would advise that those living in London and the surrounding areas avoid the pest.”

OPM nests are typically dome or teardrop-shaped, the Forestry Commission said, averaging the size of a tennis ball.

The are white when fresh, but soon become discoloured and brown. The caterpillars have black heads and bodies covered in long white hairs.

The post Public urged to report sightings of oak processionary moths appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A new quality assurance scheme to help improve the “traceability” of wild venison has been launched in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The new scheme, along with an existing Scottish scheme, aims to increase buyer confidence and support woodland management of wild deer in the countryside.

The UK government believes the new quality assurance scheme will enable the industry to demonstrate best practice for food production.

The aim of the wild venison quality assurance scheme is to ensure that a set of audited standards are met throughout the supply chain – from forests to the processing chain, to supermarket shelves. 

Successful applicants to the new scheme – including venison producers and processors – will support the development of a “wider, more robust marketplace” for British wild venison, according to the government.

UK Forestry Minister,Trudy Harrison, said:

“We must develop ways to manage deer more sustainably if we are to meet our tree-planting targets and protect our precious woodlands and biodiversity.

“This announcement is an important step towards achieving that aim and creating a thriving market for British wild venison.”

Applicants have been advised that they must be able to demonstrate that they comply with all of the requirements set out in the scheme.

These includes ensuring carcasses are handled correctly, premises are registered as food businesses with the local authority, and that standards expected for producing food are met in line with relevant regulations and best practice.

The government hopes that the first quality-assured meat badged under this scheme will go on sale next year.

The new scheme is a cross-sector initiative that has been developed by:

• Forestry Commission;
• Grown in Britain;
• Forestry England;
• Natural Resources Wales;
• National Game Dealers Association;
• British Association for Shooting and Conservation;
• British Deer Society;
• National Gamekeepers Organisation.

Richard Stanford, chief executive of the Forestry Commission, believes a healthy native wild deer population, that is in balance with its ecosystem, will allow woodland to flourish and support biodiversity.

“However where there are high-density populations of wild deer these can negatively impact the establishment, growth and biodiversity of woodland,” he also warned.

Stanford added:

“Deer therefore must be managed as part of sustainable forestry in England which will also support the development of the wild venison market as a healthy meat.

“Boosting confidence in the British venison market encourages deer management and is a sustainable alternative to fencing and plastic tree guards in the landscape.”

The post UK government launches quality assurance scheme for wild venison appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry Commission has announced the reopening of its Tree Production Capital Grant, which aims to accelerate investment in domestic tree production.

The second round of the grant is open until May 31, 2023, and will provide up to £1.76 million in funding during 2023/2023 and £3.43 million during 2024/2025.

Successful projects will be awarded up to £175,000 in grant funding to cover up to 50% of projecosts, with money coming from the Tree Production Capital Grant as part of the government’s £750 million Nature for Climate Fund. 

In comparison to the 2022 application process, the minimum grant value which can be applied for has reduced from £10,000 to £5,000 with the aim of enhancing accessibility for smaller projects. 

Examples of eligible projects include:

• Investments in seed trays;
• Developments in machinery such as transplanting systems and grading machines;
• Improved polytunnel infrastructure and irrigation systems;
• Biosecurity through improved water treatment and refrigeration equipment.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said: “This government is committed to bolstering domestic tree production and fostering a robust forestry industry – actions that are necessary to realise our long-term tree- planting goals.  

“Not only does the Tree Production Capital Grant allow us to modernise and enhance the sector, but it also helps to create new green jobs and to tackle climate change, amongst myriad other benefits.”  

Forestry Commission Chief Executive Richard Stanford said: “Funding projects that enhance our woodlands and treescapes is fundamental to achieving government’s tree planting ambitions and building an innovative and robust forestry sector. 

“Through the Tree Production Capital Grant we have been able to support existing tree and seed suppliers of all sizes, and also provide funding to those wishing to make a start in the sector.

“With the application window now open, I encourage those with relevant projects to apply.”  

Applications are encouraged from tree seed and sapling suppliers of all sizes and sectors, as well as new entrants looking to diversify into the area, the government said.

Applicants can apply for projects up to two-years long, ending in March 2025. The Forestry Commission will be hosting a webinar on the grant application process on Friday, April 28.

The post Applications reopen for Tree Production Capital Grant appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry Commission updated operational zones and boundaries in a bid to manage the spread of oak processionary moth (OPM) this month.

The OPM season begins in March when the caterpillars can start to emerge. To coincide with this, the Forestry Commission has made changes to the three operational boundaries of the management zones.

These management zones are: Area designated free from the pest, Buffer Zone, and Established Area, and they will be implemented to continue to help to restrict the spread of the pest, the commission said.

The Forestry Commission warned that OPM caterpillars and their nests contain hairs which can cause itchy rashes, eye and throat irritations, and should not be touched under any circumstances.

OPM caterpillars feed on oak leaves and can increase trees’ vulnerability to attack by other pests and diseases, making them less able to withstand adverse weather conditions – like drought and floods.

The commission warned that the greatest human and animal health risk period is from May to July, as this is when the caterpillars emerge and feed before pupating into adult moths.

Commenting on the implementation of the updated operational zones to manage the spread of OPM, project manager Andrew Hoppit said: “Oak processionary moth larvae can cause significant damage to oak trees and pose a risk to human and animal health.

“These new measures are designed to minimise the spread and impact of the pest and protect our precious oak trees, as part of our wider tree health protection regime.”

Hoppit urged the public to report any OPM sighting to the Forestry Commission via its TreeAlert portal.

Oak Processionary Moth

The OPM was first identified in England in 2006 and is now present in London and surrounding counties.

OPM management varies across England to reflect the known distribution of the pest and to protect uninfected areas, the Forestry Commission said.

A UK government programme to manage OPM has been in place since 2010 to control its spread and reduce pest prevalence, undertaken by the Forestry Commission.

Landowners, the public and trade are urged to remain vigilant for sightings of the pest.

The post Forestry Commission updates oak moth boundaries to manage spread appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The minimum wage for agricultural workers in Wales is set to increase from April 1.

Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths has today (Tuesday, March 7) signed the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2023, which sets the minimum hourly wage for all agricultural, horticultural and forestry workers in Wales.

These new rates are based on the advice of the independent Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales.

The order also amends the wording regarding annual leave year periods and the calculation of holiday pay for workers with variable hours.

And, it includes agency workers and workers employed by gang masters who may not have a contract of service directly with the employer.

In a statement, Griffiths said: “Ensuring agricultural workers receive fair pay, which recognises the important role they play in the Welsh agricultural sector whilst contributing to the rural economy, and environment, is of paramount importance and a key goal of this government.”

Griffiths said the order bolsters her commitment to supporting the viability of the agricultural sector in Wales.

“Welsh government remains committed to the objectives of the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Act 2014,” she said.

“This important piece of legislation has a direct link to combating poverty in rural Wales and supporting the objectives of the Wellbeing for Future Generations Act.”

Minimum pay rates

Under the new Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2023, the minimum rates of pay for the five grades of agricultural worker are as follows:

The post Wales: Minimum wage for ag workers to increase next month appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A new online hub has been launched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Forest Research, Scottish Forestry and the Welsh government today (Monday, February 20) to help the forestry sector adapt to climate change.

The Climate Change Hub, managed by Forest Research, will share the most important aspects of United Kingdom Forest Standard (UKFS) guidance related to climate change adaptation.

The aim of the hub, the Forestry Commission said, is to encourage the uptake of adaptive practice by forest and woodland owners and managers.

The hub provides “concise information about risks from the changing climate, how to identify suitable adaptation measures and examples of how other managers are implementing adaptive practice”, the Forestry Commission said.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said the hub will support the forest industry to make “better, more informed and ultimately more sustainable decisions when it comes to tree planting and woodland management”.

Trees and tree management, she said, are crucial parts of the UK’s plan to reach net zero by 2050, and resources like the Climate Change Hub will help this.

Chief executive of the Forestry Commission, Richard Stanford, said climate change will “affect our trees, wood and forests”.

Because of this, Stanford said that the UK must ensure that its “management practices ensure they thrive for the long-term to ensure all the benefits the provide are maximised”.

“Trees are a critical part of our endeavours to tackle climate change; trees are the most efficient and cost-effective method of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“The Climate Change Hub will allow all of us to see this critical information in one place for the first time, enabling land managers and foresters to make the best decisions for our planet on tree and forest management,” he said.

The post New online hub to help forestry sector adapt to climate change appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Farmers and land managers across England are being encouraged to apply for the Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme, which will see £10 million made available for them to create new woodlands to tackle climate change.

Those who wish to apply are urged to do so before the closing date of April 30, 2023, ahead of the seventh auction which will take place online between May 15-21, 2023.

Administered by the Forestry Commission, the Woodland Carbon Guarantee is a £50 million scheme that aims to accelerate woodland planting rates and permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

£10 million of this fund is being made available and, following the online auction process, successful bidders will be offered the option to sell carbon in the form of Woodland Carbon Units.

Woodland Carbon Units are a financial value given to each tonne of carbon stored and successful bidders will be able to sell this to the UK government over 35 years at a guaranteed price against inflation.

Following customer feedback, the Forestry Commission has said that it made some changes to the seventh auction which includes the removal of project categories with the aim of making it easier for customers to access.

The commission also change the publication of the reserve price (£30/Woodland Carbon Unit) to give prospective applicants more confidence and clarity to apply, it said.

Chief executive of the Forestry Commission, Richard Stanford, said the Woodland Carbon Guarantee has continued to grow in its success, supporting the creation of 2,810ha of new woodland to combat the impact of climate change.

“I strongly encourage farmers, foresters and land managers across England to submit their applications to the guarantee ahead of the application deadline on April 30,” he said.

The post Farmers urged to apply to £10m woodland scheme appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry Commission, Forestry England and Forest Research are looking for photo submissions of women working in forests for inclusion in a People’s Picture exhibition celebrating women in forestry.

The People’s Picture is a photography and design studio that produces a mosaic assembled from thousands of photos – with each photo telling a different story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by The People’s Picture (@thepeoplespicture)

The piece of art, and thus the images will go on display at the forthcoming Women in Forestry, The Lumberjills Story exhibition at Grizedale Forest in the Lake District this May, until December.

The exhibition will also celebrate the contribution of the World War II Lumberjills (think the feminine of lumberjack), a group of women who played a vital role in maintaining the supply of timber during the Second World War.

People who have pictures of working Lumberjills from World War II are also invited to submit their pictures for display at the forthcoming exhibition, and women who don’t work in forestry are being asked to submit photos of themselves in a favourite forest spot or woodland place.

The submission deadline is March 31; photos can be submitted online to the People’s Picture.

There is no cap on the amount of photos that can be submitted.

The post Photos sought for ‘Women in Forestry’ People’s Picture appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Hundreds of thousands of trees will be planted across England after two major funding schemes reopened for applications today (Wednesday, February 8).

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have said that over £14 million will be allocated to successful applicants across both funds: The Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF).

The funding schemes aim to support tree planting efforts and contribute to government commitments to treble tree-planting rates across England by the end of this Parliament, planting 30,000ha of tress across the UK per year to meet net zero ambitions.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said trees improve quality of life and are vital to the government’s ambition to reach net zero by 2050.

“This funding will continue to level up people’s access to nature, which we committed to doing in our recently published Environmental Improvement Plan,” she said.

“We want to see inspiring projects that plant more trees across England.”

Chief executive of the Forestry Commission, Richard Stanford, said: “The Urban Tree Challenge Fund and Local Authorities Treescapes Fund will help promote resilient treescapes in England, support tree planting efforts and improve the urban environment for future generations.

“It will see thousands of trees planted in socially deprived urban areas with limited numbers of trees.

“Research is clear that streets with trees in them leads to better wellbeing and health outcomes for residents as well as providing important biodiversity in our towns and cities.

“The same applies to green spaces in or close to towns and cities and we need more people to have access to quality woodlands and green spaces.”

Local Authority Treescapes Fund

Round 3 of LATF will see local authorities drive an increase in non-woodland tree planting across English landscapes. Community engagement is encouraged and local authorities are urged to bring together residents, schools and environmental groups to restore trees in areas outside woodlands.

Defra and the Forestry Commission said they are particularly valuable trees to society as they can provide the greatest levels of ecosystem services, including wellbeing benefits and connectivity to support biodiversity.

This round of LATF welcomes individual applications from borough, district and city councils, as well as county councils, unitary and metropolitan boroughs.

Previously, these authorities needs to form groups with each other or county councils in order to apply. The aim of this change is to open the fund up to more local authorities.

This fund will be open year-round in response to feedback on the challenges of meeting application windows previously.

The Forestry Commission said it still strongly encourages applications during the spring/early summer so successful applicants an start their planting this year.

Funding will be allocated to successful applicants on a first-come-first-served basis.

Urban Tree Challenge Fund

Round 5 of the UTCF aims to level up access to nature across the country, planting trees in socially deprived urban areas with low canopy cover and in proximity to healthcare and educational facilities.

“Trees make over towns and cities healthier and more pleasant places to be, helping to moderate temperatures, reduce pollution, decrease flood risk and improve people’s quality of life,” Defra and the Forestry Commission said.

The UTCF aims to support the planting of large standards trees and street trees. The fund will provide 80% funding of standards costs for planting large trees and their establishment costs for three years following planting, compared with 50% of standards costs in previous rounds.

UTCF, like LATF, will be open year-round in response to feedback on the challenges of meeting application windows previously.

The Forestry Commission said it still strongly encourages applications during the spring/early summer so successful applicants an start their planting this year.

Funding will be allocated to successful applicants on a first-come-first-served basis.

The post Two forestry funds totalling £14 million open for applications appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Sir William Worsley has been reappointed as chair of the Forestry Commission, by way of Royal Warrant, for a second term.

Worsley, who has been chair since 2020, said he is “delighted” to be reappointed. Prior to this position, he was the government’s tree champion.

“I am proud to have overseen the implementation of the England Trees Action Plan, which is driving our ambition to treble tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament,” he added.

“It is my personal mission to build on these efforts to protect and expand our nation’s trees, woodlands and forests for the benefit of all.”

The England Trees Action Plan sets out the governments long-term vision to enhance England’s treescape between now and 2050 – including work to triple the rate of tree planting by 2025.

Commenting on his reappointemnt, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: “Sir William has provided robust leadership as chair of Forestry Commission, bringing a strong sense of duty and a wealth of experience to the organisation, and I am pleased he will continue as chair for a second term.

“I look forward to further working with Sir William and the Forestry Commission in delivering our ambitious plans to triple the rate of tree planting by the end of this Parliament.”

Richard Stanford, Forestry Commission chief executive, added:

“I am delighted that Sir William will continue his fantastic work as chair of Forestry Commission for another term – his passion and experience have proved invaluable to the organisation and forestry sector as a whole.

“I look forward to working closely together in protecting and expanding our forests, woods and trees and promoting sustainable management of them for people and nature.” 

The post Sir Worsley reappointed as Forestry Commission chair appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Prison sentences and unlimited fines are amongt a package of new powers to be introduced as part of a crackdown on illegal tree felling in England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission announced today (Friday, December 23).

Delivered as part of the Environment Act, changes to the Forestry Act 1967 will deliver more enforcement options. The key changes are:

• Felling trees without a felling licence, where one was required, will carry the penalty of an unlimited fine – up from the current limit of £2,500 or twice the value of the trees felled;
• Failure to comply with a Forestry Commission Enforcement Notice and a subsequent court-ordered Restocking Order (meaning any trees felled must be replanted) will put offenders at risk of imprisonment, in addition to an unlimited fine; 
• Restocking Notices and Enforcement Notices will be listed on the Local Land Charges Register, making them visible to prospective buyers of the land – potentially reducing the land’s value.

The Forestry Commission said landowners have been known to fell trees without a license in place, in readiness to accept the fine if they are caught and penalised, to repurpose the previously wooded land for commercial reasons.

These new powers, it said, will curb this illegal practice, streamline and strengthen forestry enforcement administration and serve to protect England’s trees, woodlands and forests.

The largest fine issued in recent years following a report of illegal tree felling to the Forestry Commission took place in Hailsham, East Sussex, in January 2020. Hastings Magistrates Court issued a fine of almost £15,000 for the felling of 12 oak trees, all approximately 150 years old.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said: “Felling trees without a licence is illegal and can cause irreparable harm – scarring landscapes, damaging habitats for wildlife, and causing distress for local communities.

“These robust measures, implemented as part of our world-leading Environment Act, empower the Forestry Commission to tackle the issue head-on with unlimited fines and custodial sentences for the worst offenders. 

“Today’s announcement demonstrates this government’s commitment to protecting our precious trees, which are at the forefront of our efforts to bend the curve of biodiversity loss, tackle climate change and achieve net zero.” 

Forestry Commission chief executive, Richard Stanford, said the new powers written into law must help end the “blight” of illegal tree felling.

“Legal tree felling is part of normal forest operations and essential to ensure a sustainable timber supply and these areas are restocked with new trees. The Forestry Commission will not hesitate to investigate allegations of illegal tree felling,” he said.

“Once reported, our top priority is to make sure the harm caused by the felling is put right by ensuring trees are replanted wherever possible. In cases which merit it, we will always seek prosecution.

“These new powers will hit people where it hurts – in their wallets. By guaranteeing that illegal felling is no longer a financially viable option for offenders, these measures are a significant step forward in the fight against this offence and will help in our endeavours to fight the climate emergency and nature crisis.”  

The post Prison sentences and fines to combat illegal tree felling introduced appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

As part of National Tree Week, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has announced £200,000 of funding for England’s newest Community Forest in Cumbria.

This welcome additional funding over four years will contribute to a wider £1.1 million already received for the Cumbria Coastal Community Forest project from Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the Community Forest is ready to start planting this winter.

England’s newest Community Forest in Cumbria is being led by Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Woodlands and The National Trust, in close partnership with other local councils including Barrow Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Allerdale Borough Council.

Thousands of trees will be planted along the western coast of Cumbria to create up to 150ha of new woodland, the equivalent of one tree planted for every resident in Copeland, Barrow and Allerdale over the next five years.

NDA chief executive, David Peattie, said:

“It’s our mission to clean up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites safely, and we have a legal and ethical responsibility to do that sustainably, with care for our communities and the environment.

“The Cumbria Coastal Community Forest will provide a lasting legacy that is beneficial to the people of Cumbria, its wildlife and the environment.

“We invest around £15 million each year in enabling permanent, positive, and significant social and economic change in our communities, investing in projects such as this which will benefit future generations for years to come.”

The post NDA invests £200k into new Community Forest appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Projects focused on improving tree planting stocks, woodland resilience and domestic timber production are to receive £20 million in funding, it has been announced today (Monday, November 28).

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission announced the funding, which aims to drive long-term woodland creation efforts, create jobs, boost biodiversity and support innovative approaches to tree health and resilience.

Its main goal is to work against climate change and the “mounting threat of pests and diseases”, according to the department.

“Our trees, forests and woodlands are the nation’s lungs – filtering our air, capturing carbon, providing habitats and serving as a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change,” Forestry Minister, Trudy Harrison, said:.

“At a local level, trees are the lifeblood of communities, essential to supporting wellbeing, beautifying our streets and improving people’s quality of life while providing a safe haven for wildlife.

“Protecting and restoring our precious natural world can work hand-in-hand with building a stronger, healthier economy.

“Using new technologies through these funds will build a bigger, better and more resilient forestry industry for the future, as we strive to deliver on our commitment to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.” 

Defra said 57 local authorities have been awarded nearly £10 million to accelerate planting of thousands of trees.

Successful applicants for funding include:

• The University of Lincoln’s ISILDUR project, which will work with tree nurseries to address labour shortages in the forestry nursery sector;
• The university of Cambridge’s TIMBER project, which is designing and creating prototypes for new building materials;
• Red Squirrel South West for a management programme for invasive grey squirrels in North Exmoor coastal woodland.

Wood and wood products

The UK consumes 53 million tonnes of wood and wood products each year, however 81% is imported from abroad, according to the Forestry Commission.

The announcement today aims to support projects developing new technologies and working practices to help homegrown timber production meet a greater production of domestic demand.

The goal is to improve timber security and grow the UK’s forestry and primary wood processing sectors, which support 30,000 jobs and contribute over £2 billion to the economy every year.

Sir William Worsley, chair of the Forestry Commission, said: “These funds will unleash the potential of the forestry sector by championing nurseries, charities and businesses operating at the forefront of technological innovation.

“They will help more people across society get trees in the ground at an unprecedented pace and scale, whilst ensuring their resilience for future generations.

“Through the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund, local authorities have set out a range of inspiring and ambitious plans which equate to more than 10 million trees being planted on public land across England by 2025.

“The funding will turn these aspirations into results, marking a significant step forward in our collective efforts to increase tree planting rates in England.

Hannah Bartram, chief executive officer, Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport, said: “The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund is set to make a real difference, supporting local authorities to accelerate their tree and woodland planting plans and helping to tackle the climate change and biodiversity crises.

“The fund has been well received and demand has been high – it will support local authorities across the country, equipping them with the new staff, skills, and expertise needed to drive tree planting and woodland creation commitments.”  

The post £20m in funding announced for UK woodland industry appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Commercial forestry values have escalated by at least 15% in the past year, according to a new industry report produced by Tilhill.

The UK Forest Market Report 2022 has estimated that the market is worth well over £200 million.

Increasing demand for timber assets driven by net-zero ambitions contributed to rising prices in a market characterised by fewer, smaller, but higher-value sales in 2022.

Meanwhile, the land available for natural capital projects, including native afforestation, peatland restoration and rewilding, also trebled over the past year, led by England.

Greater awareness of the benefits of broader natural capital increased interest in opportunities offering wetland, islands and other diversity, the report said.

The focus on nature-based solutions beyond timber revealed far more land suitable for these projects, rising to £80.7 million (from £26.4 million in 2021) based on the data monitored.

England accounted for the largest market share with £32.4 million of listings for 2,500ha of total land area, followed by Wales (£28.9 million for 2,100ha) and Scotland (£19. million across 2,300ha).

These listings averaged, per gross hectare, £13,200 in England, £13,600 in Wales and £8,500 in Scotland.

In the report, Xander Mahony, head of forestry investment at Tilhill, said:

“Commercial forestry values continue to be driven by increasing demand from institutional investors facing constrained supply.

“This year in particular has seen supply at the bottom end of the historical range.”

He said yield class was the biggest indicator of per hectare values, demonstrating a market that was willing to pay a premium for the best assets.

The mixed woodland market – driven by amenity and desirability over economics – grew by 81% in value from £10.7 million to £19.4 million and in size by 760ac, with increasing demand outstripping supply.

The report found planting land transactions rose by almost a quarter (23%) from £53.1 million to £65.3 million, with an average cost of £16,475/plantable hectare, up 50% on last year’s £11,000.

Scotland led the way with 85% of the value of plantable land sold north of the border as well as a 73% increase in average price to £17,200/hectare.

According to Tilhill, a few unique outliers skewed the numbers higher compared to previous years, but the trajectory was still upwards.

The total land planted in the UK rose by 4% (13,850ha) with broadleaves overtaking conifers for the first time since 2016.

76% of all new planting – and 93% of total conifer planting – took place in Scotland although at 10,480ha it was still below annual planting targets of 12,000ha.

The post Forestry values up 15% in 2022 appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry Commission has announced it will reopen its Woodland Officer programme in 2023 to foster a growing, highly skilled and diverse workforce within the forestry sector.

The Development Woodland Officer programme offers a three-year, paid development opportunity for passionate individuals from all backgrounds looking to kickstart their careers in forestry.

It aims to grow and upskill the forestry sector workforce and is open to school leavers, graduates or anyone looking for a change in career direction.

Upon completion of the programme, successful graduates will earn a Professional Forester Apprenticeship (equivalent to Level 6), a BSc (Hons) in Forest Management.

Forestry Commission chief executive, Richard Stanford said:

“The Development Woodland Officer programme is an exciting career pathway into forestry in general and the Forestry Commission in particular.

“The programme offers a wide range of forestry and silvicultural experiences to build knowledge across the entire forestry sector.

“I have seen first-hand the success of this programme, our current students are thriving though a unique mix of hands-on experience and academic studies as well as being in paid employment.

“I encourage people from all backgrounds and abilities interested in a rewarding career in forestry to apply.”

Gareth Biggins, Development Woodland Officer apprentice said:

“I joined the DWO programme in 2022, having worked in the rail industry for 15 years.

“I wanted to make a career change into forestry for some time and the programme offers a great way to achieve this while working to protect and expand our woodlands.

“Since joining I have acquired new skills, knowledge and experience and have enjoyed the opportunity to work towards a degree level qualification alongside on the job training and interaction with colleagues from across the forestry sector.”

The post Forestry Commission to reopen Woodland Officer programme appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Minister from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Edwin Poots, has said that a new report highlighting the CO2 uptake by different types of woodlands will be “of great benefit to foresters”.

The new report, produced by the Forest Research Agency, analysed the CO2 uptake by forestry, and showed that a diverse range of woodland types can all make a “significant” contribution, according to the report.

The ‘Quantifying the Sustainable Forestry Carbon Cycle’ report showed that in a shorter term of around 30 years, faster growing conifer plantations soak up the highest levels of CO2.

However, over a longer period, other types of woodlands – including native broadleaves and naturally regenerated woodlands – start to achieve comparable levels of CO2 uptake.

Commenting on the report, which analysed 12 different types of woodlands, Poots said: “Northern Ireland has an ambitious commitment to reach net zero by 2050.”

“Expanding our forests and woodlands is key to achieving this as these trees will soak up harmful CO2 from the atmosphere.”

Poots said that forests and woodlands in NI are sequestering half a million tonnes of CO2 each year, which is equivalent to 9.5% of the agricultural sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“This demonstrates clearly how important our woodland expansion plans are in fighting climate change,” he said.

“Our forests and woodlands are also vital in tackling another global crisis. Our woodlands are helping many forms of biodiversity thrive and are therefore crucial in helping reverse the damaging effects of nature loss.”

Poots said that evidence and research needs to be gathered in order to “get the best out of our forests for the future”.

“This new piece of research will be of great benefit to foresters to help them do just that,” he said.

The post Poots: New CO2 report will help achieve net zero target appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Demand for wood products, including sawnwood, plywood, fibreboard and wood pulp is predicted to reach 3.1 billion cubic metres of roundwood equivalents – a measure of logs used in the making of wood-based products – by 2050.

However, the rise in consumption will be at least 8% higher in a bioeconomy, where mass timber and manmade cellulose fibres substitute non-renewable materials in construction and textile production respectively.

In a scenario of a more accelerated transition to a bioeconomy with a stronger participation of these two products, the rise in consumption of primary wood products could be 23% higher.

Renewable material

Wood is recyclable and increasingly used to replace non-renewable materials. Therefore, it is a critical material to address the global threats to climate, biodiversity and the environment, the FAO said.

Commenting on the launch of the Global forest sector outlook 2050: Assessing future demand and sources of timber for a sustainable economy, deputy director of FAO’s forestry division, Ewald Rametsteiner said:

“The forest sector is critical for resilient and sustainable economies. Ensuring the sustainability of the forest sector will require innovation and investments, but also policy coherence.”

Higher demand must be met by increasing productivity through sustainable forest management in existing forests, and encouraging wood production as part of land restoration programmes and projects, according to the report.

If naturally regenerated forest production remains stable, the planting of at least 33 million hectares of new forests will be needed, as well as $40 billion investment per annum by 2050 to maintain and expand industrial roundwood production

Additionally, $25 billion investment per annum in modernization and in establishing industries may be required, while up to 1 million new jobs could be created by growing the market for wood as a replacement for non-renewable materials, the report stated.

Wood for energy

Future wood energy consumption up to 2050 will be shaped by the traditional use of fuelwood in the two most rapidly growing regions of sub-saharan Africa and southern Asia, and the projected role of modern biomass to generate renewable energy.

Wood will also increasingly be part of the renewable energy mix in the industrial world, while in some regions and contexts restoration efforts for fuel wood may be needed to meet this demand, the FAO said.

Global consumption of fuelwood from forests in 2050 may be between 2.1 billion and 2.7 billion cubic metres, compared to 1.9 billion cubic metres in 2020, according to the report by the FAO, the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), and Unique land use GmbH.

Team leader of sustainable forestry, value chains, innovation and investment in FAO’s forestry division, Thais Linhares-Juvenal commented:

“Ensuring access to sustainable wood fuel to private consumers who rely on this source due to economic reasons is a public responsibility comparable to supplying electricity or water.”

In 2020, there were still 2.3 billion people relying on wood fuel as their primary source of energy for cooking and heating, which will remain the case for many households in emerging economies until 2050, the report stated.

The post Report highlights wood as renewable substitute in a bioeconomy appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Woodlands at Foreside, a 108.67ac site near the village of Neilston in west Scotland, is for sale as a whole or in three separate lots.

The site is situated one mile northwest of the village of Neilston on the outskirts of Glasgow and Galbraith.

According to the selling agency Galbraith, the land “presents the potential to develop woodland structures, natural habitats and biodiversity interests”.

As a whole, it is available for offers over £440,000, or in three lots as follows:

• Lot 1:19.89ha (49.15ac) – offers over £200,000;
• Lot 2: 15.43ha (38.13ac) – offers over £130,000;
• Lot 3: 8.66ha (21.40ac) – offers over £110,000.

The three individual parcels of woodland, which are all similar in composition, were planted at the same time under a single grant scheme.

They are mixed, mainly native broadleaved woodlands, with designed open ground and a developing ground flora.

Duncan Barrie, who is handling the sale for Galbraith said: “The sale of Woodlands at Foreside presents an exciting opportunity for a single buyer or multiple parties interested in unlocking the woodland’s potential.

“Although to date, none of the planting has been registered under the Woodland Carbon Code and no accredited nor informal carbon claims have been made, future owners may benefit from opportunities which may arise with respect to the expanding woodland carbon marketplace, for both accredited and non-accredited woodland carbon.”

“The developing soil carbon market is also another prospect for interested parties to consider given the emerging evidence indicating that woodland soils are one of the richest carbon stores after peatland.”

The woodland is split into two separate areas by the public road and the amenity woodland sections have been planted under a woodland scheme which was completed over 15 years ago and are interspersed with some smaller areas of open ground.

The post 108ac woodland site for sale in west Scotland appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Calling on the farming community to respond to the engagement, Planning Forester, Breandan Mulholland said:

“This is the seventh consultation since 2017 in relation to forest plans and the response from the rural community has been fantastic.

“We have received responses from a diverse range of stakeholders including those representing the farming industry, countryside sports and local communities.

“Forestry planning helps us deliver many services from our forests and woodlands, such as timber production and capture of carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change.

“Regular reviews of forest plans ensure that they are up to date and allows us to monitor our forests to enable them to continue to meet the diverse and sometimes competing needs of people, wildlife, and wood processing industries.”

“With an estimated forest cover of around 8,800ha in Down, forests and woodlands are a significant part of the rural landscape and economy.

“Around 40% of these forests and woodlands are non-Forest Service.

“Forest Service seeks greater involvement of people in the revision of its forest plans.

“Plans will consider Forest Service forests and make references to other woodlands. Members of the farming community can help by telling us what is important to them.”

The consultation can be accessed via the ‘Citizen Space’ website.

Mulholland concluded: “Forests are a vital natural resource which belong to us all.

“This is the last consultation to be held in the current review of forest plans, and it is particularly important that those living and working in the rural community have their say on the development of forest plans.”

The consultation runs from September 23 to November 30, 2022.

The post Farmers called on to have their say on the future of forests in Down appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has allocated £1.2 million funding for domestic tree seed production.

The £1.2 million Seed Sourcing Grant will boost domestic tree seed production, create green jobs, help meet the increased demand for trees and achieve our ambitious net zero targets.

Most tree seed planted in the UK is of British origin, but evidence suggests that British seed sources may struggle to meet future demand across all species and there are known to be global shortages of tree seed.

The grant will boost domestic tree seed production and support green jobs, helping meet the increased demand for trees and achieve our ambitious tree planting targets.

The government has re-committed to its net zero targets, and new woodland and tree planting will contribute to those. The Seed Sourcing Grant will help to ensure the availability of planting stock to meet domestic tree planting needs. 

The chief executive of the Forestry Commission, Richard Stanford, said: “Seed sourcing is an essential part of tree production and one that can sometimes be overlooked. As planting rates increase, so too will the demand for tree seed.”

“This funding will give a vital boost to domestic tree seed production, helping to create diverse and thus resilient woodlands across our country.”

“This will both help meet our ambitious tree planting targets and ensure the resilience of woodlands so they can thrive in the uncertain future,” he said.

International Plant Health Conference

Today’s announcement comes as the world’s leading authorities on plant health and biosecurity came together for the world’s first ever International Plant Health Conference to address current and future plant health challenges.

Nicola Spence, UK Chief Plant Health Officer, said: “Plant health and biosecurity are fundamental to life on Earth and ensuring their continued health and vitality will be critical to a thriving natural environment for future generations.

“By increasing and diversifying England’s seed supply, this grant is crucial to help lower the risk of importing harmful pest and diseases by reducing the need to buy seed internationally and will create diverse and resilient woodlands which will be better adapted to future threats,” she said.

Eligible activities for the grant

• Management of existing seed stands – the groups of trees in the landscape from which seed is collected – to ensure they are productive for seed collectors.
• Desk studies and field studies to identify and bring additional seed stands onto the National Register of Basic material.
• Planning and planting of new seed stands.
• Planning and planting of new seed orchards – which are planted using seed or clonal material from known parents outside of the natural landscape in an area convenient for seed collectors.
• Some activities will take time to implement, and so multi-year funding will be available up until March 2025.

The post Defra: £1.2 million in funding for tree seed production appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Cymru has reaffirmed that tree planting initiatives emanating from newly announced Welsh government grant funding must not hinder farmers’ ability to produce food.

The stance comes after the Welsh government announced £32m of funding for farmers and landowners to plant 86 millions trees by the end of the decade.

As part of the announcement, Welsh government Minister for Climate Change Julie James has launched two new schemes: The Small Grants Woodland Creation Scheme and The Woodland Creation Grant.

In response to the Welsh government’s announcement, NFU Cymru rural affairs board chairman Hedd Pugh said:

“We are still awaiting further detail of the schemes and how they will operate in practice, how the funding will be allocated between them and over what time period, as well as what the payment rates will be.

“Without that detail it’s very difficult to comment on whether this scheme will deliver the outcomes Welsh government wishes to see.

“With the growing rise in costs of tree planting and fencing out woodlands, payment rates will need to properly reflect these costs – something which hasn’t happened in recent years.

“We welcome the fact that the announcement refers to simplifying funding for farmers, which needs to address the union’s long held concerns around the administrative burden associated with access to and compliance with previous grant schemes.

“Many farmers are receptive to the notion of increasing tree cover at an appropriate scale on areas that they identify as their less productive land.

“We hope that these schemes will make it easier for farmers to do this. NFU Cymru is clear that approaches to increase tree cover in Wales should not impact our ability to produce food and properly safeguard our communities, culture and language.”

The post Tree planting commitments must not hinder food production ability appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The schemes are part of the ‘Forests for Our Future’ programme to encourage and help landowners plant their own woodlands.

The available grants can support all types of sustainable woodland with the Small Woodland Grant Scheme being designed as a simple online scheme for new native woodlands of 0.2ha and larger, while the Forest Expansion Scheme supports native woodland, mixed woodland or commercial conifer woodland that can best meet land owners business needs whilst contributing to a living, working, active landscape.

Successful applicants to the schemes will receive up to 100% of eligible establishment costs and annual premium payments for a 10-year period.

DAERA wishes to remind landowners who wish to plant this winter that all applications to the Forest Expansion Scheme must be submitted to Forest Service by 3:00p.m on August 31.

All applications to the Small Woodland Grant Scheme must be made using the online system before 10:00p.m on August 31.

Northern Ireland Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister, Edwin Poots said:

“These schemes are designed to attract and support farmers and other landowners to plant new woodland to complement their land management activity and add to our valuable woodland assets.

“I am pleased that in the last year land owners planted 525ha of new woodland under forestry grant schemes support.

“This is an encouraging response on our journey to increase the level of afforestation needed to reach the targets set out in the challenging Forests for Our Future programme.

“The reopening of our forestry grant schemes will enable private land owners and public sector organisations to bring forward new woodland creation projects for the forthcoming planting season.”

The post Final call for applications for DAERA forestry schemes appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The report was compiled by staff at Forest Research and its publication has been welcomed by one of Northern Ireland’s leading foresters.

The organisation is the UK’s principal organisation, involved in forestry and tree-related research.

The aforementioned publication is entitled: ‘Quantifying the sustainable forestry carbon cycle’.

Specifically, it confirms that fast-growing sitka plantations (thinned) can sequester up to 14t CO2/ha/yr. Next in order of sequestration rate comes fast-growing conifer plantations (unthinned) at 11.1t, followed by conifer plantations (thinned) at 8.9t.

For comparison purposes, broad leaf plantations that are lightly managed can deliver a sequestration rate of only 5.7t.

Premier Woodlands managing director, John Hetherington commented:

“The Forest Research works nails the myth that fast-growing sitka and other confirm options do not have a role to play in the development of Northern Ireland’s forestry and woodland development strategies for the future.

“The fact is that they do. It makes absolute sense that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, in tandem with Forest Service, should take full account of this reality as they plan for the future.”

Fast-growing conifers and CO2 sequestration

The work undertaken by Forest Research constitutes a systematic analysis of the rate of net CO2 uptake over time as a result of creating a wide range of different types of woodland in the UK.

The study includes the potential to avoid emissions in the future through using wood products in place of other materials and fuels. 12 types of woodlands were analysed covering coniferous and broadleaf woodlands as well as naturally re-colonising woodland on abandoned land.

The results show that all the woodland types deliver significant net CO2 uptake over a 100-year period, and nearly all in the 2022-2050 period. None result in significant net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during this time.

In addition, wood products can provide a significant store of carbon and can avoid emissions when they substitute for other materials.

These effects are most apparent for new woodlands managed for production over longer timescales, when these woodlands start to produce timber.

These contributions can be almost as important as carbon sequestration in the woodlands over this timescale.

Moreover, modelling results were consistent with experimental measurements of CO2 uptake rates, where these were available.

The post Report: Key role of fast-growing conifers in carbon sequestration appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Monocultures of some of the UK’s most economically important conifers may be more resilient to spring drought than mixed-species forests, according to new research by the University of Stirling

Although mixed-species forests can be more productive and provide a wider range of social, environmental and economic benefits than those containing a single species, they may not be as resilient to drought, researchers found.

Using a long-term experimental forest in Ardross, near Inverness in Scotland, they measured the impact of a spring drought in 2012 on monocultures of two species – Sitka spruce and Scots pine – compared to mixtures of the same two species growing together in different proportions.

Scots pine and Sitka spruce are two of the most economically important timber species in the UK, collectively making up 68% of all the UK’s coniferous forest area, with Sitka spruce alone comprising 51%.

PhD researcher Tom Ovenden, of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, who led the study, said: “As expected, we found evidence that Scots pine was more resistant to drought than Sitka spruce.

“However, to our surprise, monocultures of both species appeared to be more resilient to spring drought than any of the mixtures of the two species that we considered.

“As we rapidly try to adapt our forests to deal with the challenges of a changing climate, it’s important that decisions on how best to achieve this are based on robust scientific evidence.

“This work is important because it demonstrates that simply adding more tree species to a forest does not automatically increase its resilience.

“Instead, the existence of any beneficial effects of species mixture likely depends on which species are mixed, their characteristics and how they interact.

“Understanding how to effectively increase forest resilience is important, as the ability of forests to sequester carbon, provide habitat for a range of species and to continue to deliver a range of ecosystems services is dependent on them being robust to climate change.”

The post Monocultures of conifers can be more resilient to spring drought – study appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The demarcated area in the south of England that was put in place to combat the spread of the tree pest Ips typographus, also known as eight-tooth European spruce bark beetle, has been extended following further findings of the insect.

The new findings were made following routine plant health surveillance activities carried out by the Forestry Commission. As a result, the existing demarcated area in Kent, Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex has been extended to cover parts of Hampshire.

Within the demarcated area, the movement of susceptible tree material such as spruce wood, bark and branches is restricted.

The Forestry Commission is also urging increased vigilance currently, in light of the new findings. Any sightings should also be reported to the Forestry Commission via its TreeAlert online portal.

An extensive network of pheromone traps has already been positioned across the southeast to monitor for potential incursions of the pest from the continent and to identify suspect sites.

Commenting on today’s extension, Jane Hull, Forestry Commission area director for the southeast and London, said:

“The enhanced plant health enforcement actions announced today will prevent this potentially damaging pest from becoming established, protect the forestry sector, and ensure our vital spruce are retained within the landscape.”

Bark beetle

The southeast of England in particular is vulnerable to the arrival of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle because it can naturally be blown over from Europe.

The larger eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle is considered a serious pest of spruce trees in Europe and was first found in the wider environment in Norway spruce in woodlands in Kent in 2018, as part of routine plant health surveillance activity.

The beetle is mainly a secondary pest, preferring stressed or weakened trees.

Because of this, in the long-term, the Forestry Commission is encouraging landowners in the affected regions to remove stressed or weakened spruce and replant with other species to limit potential spread of Ips typographus.

The beetles bore into wood where they attract mates and lay eggs.

Adult Ips typographus beetles are approximately 5mm long.

The post FC tightens controls to tackle bark beetle tree pest appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A £7.8 million fund to support local authorities with the new staff and expertise needed to kickstart woodland creation and tree planting plans is now open.

The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund will provide at least 50 local authorities with financial support to bring on board the professional expertise they need to drive tree planting and woodland creation commitments.

Delivered by the Forestry Commission in partnership with Defra as part of the £750 million Nature for Climate Fund, successful applicants to the fund will be awarded up to £150,000 each.

Available to Local Authorities across England, newly trained or employed staff could include project managers, woodland creation officers, community engagement officers, funding consultants, or specialist advisors, such as landscape architects or archaeologists.

Together, the staff will focus on developing planting plans and applications for capital funding in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, speeding up the delivery of new woodlands.

Sir William Worsley, Forestry Commission chair, said:

“By investing in tree planting and woodland creation, local authorities can play a pivotal role in addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

“The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund will help local authorities across England to turn aspirations into actions.

“This fund will help to increase the number of trained and experienced staff and expand our nation’s much-loved treescapes so everyone can benefit from the social, environmental and economic benefits they bring.”

The post New £7.8m tree planting fund launched appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

It has since grown into a leading supplier of forestry machinery, specifically trailers, and cranes for attachment to tractors.

Forestry award for Kronos

Recently the company was awarded the 2022 Elmia Wood Innovation Silver Award for its latest development in the safe and efficient use of its trailers.

Smart Stabilizer Control is a semi-automatic control system for the support legs on the trailer, automatically lowering and adjusting them to ensure a level platform for the crane to operate from.

This is the third part of the company’s drive to increase the productivity of its products through the use of digital technology.

Powered wheels

The primary product is ‘Smart drive’, a system which controls the speed of a powered trailer independently of the ground speed of the tractor.

It is set to drive the wheels at a speed 5% greater than the tractor and may be used on trailers with either a friction drive to the wheels, or hydraulic hub motors. It automatically switches off at road speeds.

The system will connect directly to a Valtra’s internal CANbus software to ensure that it works smoothly in conjunction with the tractor’s engine and transmission.

Boom tip control

The second innovation which has won many plaudits is the Smart Boom Control system.

The idea is to relieve the operator of having to control the separate rams on a logging crane by having the software do the thinking while the operator simply directs the tip of the crane by joystick.

With all three systems in place on a trailer, forwarding timber is said to become a great deal easier and more efficient.

In effect, the tractor and trailer combination becomes the one vehicle as the drive is distributed to all the wheels when off road.

When amongst the cut timber, it can be automatically stabilised and the crane operated with just one control lever.

The post Smart Forestry control systems from Kronos appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The aim of the schemes is to encourage and help landowners plant their own woodlands.

The schemes can support all types of sustainable woodland, with the Small Woodland Grant Scheme being designed as a simple online scheme for new native woodlands of 0.2ha and larger.

The Forest Expansion Scheme supports native woodland, mixed woodland or commercial conifer woodland that can best meet land owners' business needs whilst contributing to a living, working, active landscape.

Successful applicants to the schemes will receive up to 100% of eligible establishment costs and annual premium payments for a 10-year period.

Minister Poots said: “I am delighted to announce the reopening of the Forest Expansion Scheme and Small Woodland Grant Scheme for 2022 on June 15.

“These schemes are designed to attract and support farmers and other landowners to plant new woodland to complement their land management activity and add to our valuable woodland assets.

“I am pleased that in the last year land owners planted 525ha of new woodland under forestry grant schemes support.

“This is an encouraging response on our journey to increase the level of afforestation needed to reach the targets set out in the challenging Forests for Our Future programme.

“The reopening of our forestry grant schemes will enable private land owners and public sector organisations to bring forward new woodland creation projects for the forthcoming planting season.”

Landowners who wish to plant this winter are reminded that all applications to the Forest Expansion Scheme must be submitted to Forest Service by August 31, 2022.

All applications to the Small Woodland Grant Scheme must be made using the online system before August 31, 2022.

The post Poots reopens forestry grant schemes for 2022 appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry Commission (FC) has confirmed a further finding of the tree disease Phytophthora pluvialis in Shropshire, as well as subsequent tree-health protection measures to combat it from spreading.

The measures include a new demarcated area (see map below), which will come into force on next Thursday (June 16).

Within these boundries, the movement of any wood, isolated bark and trees (including live trees, felled or fallen trees, fruit, seeds, leaves or foliage) of the genus Tsuga (Hemlock); Pseudotsuga (Douglas-firs); Pinus (Pine); and Notholithocarpus will be prohibited from the aforementioned June date.

Provision is made within this notice to enable plant health inspectors to authorise movements and processing of material from the demarcated area where this can be achieved without risking the spread of P. pluvialis.

Furthermore, there will an additional restriction on the felling of susceptible material within the area, unless the FC has been notified, in writing, in advance.

Landowners must provide notice of their intention to fell relevant material at least 14 days in advance of any felling in the demarcated areas.

Phytophthora pluvialis

In September 2021, Phytophthora pluvialis was discovered in a woodland in Cornwall, England, affecting mature western hemlock and Douglas-fir trees. Further outbreaks have since been found in Devon, Cumbria, Surrey and multiple sites in Scotland and Wales.

It is a fungal-like pathogen that is known to cause needle cast, shoot dieback and lesions on the stem, branches and roots.

The post Phytophthora pluvialis tree disease found in Shropshire appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A range of woodland projects across England have received £6 million from the Trees Call to Action Fund to help create forestry jobs and improve access to nature, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Forestry Commission have announced today (Monday, May 30).

Grants of between $250,000 and £500,000 will support 12 projects across England in total.

These include new Woodland Creation Partnerships enabling large-scale woodland creation across rural and urban areas; projects growing and upskilling the forestry sector workforce; and projects encouraging community engagement with and access to trees and woodlands. 

It also includes a project by the Institute of Chartered Foresters to train the next generation of forestry leaders and offer an in-depth training course to ensure the forestry sector has the capacity, skills and knowledge to manage the trees and woodlands of the future.

Shireen Chambers, executive director, Institute of Chartered Foresters, said:

“The Institute of Chartered Foresters is delighted to have secured the funding to be able to develop and deliver these vital projects.

“At a time of increased political, social and economic focus on our trees and woodlands, both the leadership programmes and the UKFS (UK Forestry Standard) training series will ensure that foresters and allied professionals at all levels across the sector will be equipped to face the challenges of woodland planting targets, climate change mitigation, the biodiversity crisis and more.”

One project will also advise and support landowners in woodland management and creation.

“Investment in woodland creation is key to protecting our natural environment and achieving net zero by 2050,” said Forestry Minister Lord Goldsmith.

“These inspiring projects will encourage large-scale woodland creation, build the forestry sector of the future and bring people across the country closer to nature.”

The post Woodland projects in England receive £6m from government appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A state-of-the art laboratory that will conduct research into tree pests and diseases has been officially opened today (Friday, May 13) by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission (FC).

The £5.8 million Forest Research Holt Laboratory is located in the Alice Holt Forest in Surrey and its opening coincides with National Plant Health Week (May 9-15).

The centre will bring together leading scientists to undertake research on pests and pathogens which could be detrimental or seriously damaging to UK forests. What they find will help, going forward, to inform UK-wide efforts to combat ongoing pest and disease outbreaks.

These might include Oak processionary moth, Ips typographus and Phytophthora pluvialis, as well as emerging potential threats from abroad as a result of the warming climate, such as Emerald ash borer and Citrus longhorn beetle.

Forest Research chief executive, James Pendlebury said:

“Pests and diseases pose an existential threat to our treescapes.

“The research conducted at the Holt Laboratory as part of the Centre for Forest Protection will be pivotal in our long-term ability to combat these threats and safeguard our treescapes for future generations.

“This state-of-the-art facility builds on a long-term programme to protect our trees and forests from existing threats and ensures that we are at the forefront of defence against future risks.”

The Centre for Forest Protection, a new collaborative, virtual research network led jointly by Forest Research and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew also launches today, with a mission to protect forests, woodlands and trees from environmental and socioeconomic threats now and in the future. 

Many of the forward-thinking research projects undertaken as part of the Centre for Forest Protection will be conducted at the Holt Laboratory.

“Kew and Forest Research have been collaborating together on tree health issues for some time now, so it’s great to be coming together into a formal partnership for the Centre for Forest Protection,” said Prof. Richard Buggs, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

“Together, we can devise new ways to protect our trees and enhance their resilience. Ash dieback, acute oak decline, Dutch elm disease, here we come.”

The post Defra and FC open £5.8m tree-health laboratory appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Emergency legislation restricting the movement of pine and cedar trees into Great Britain to help protect against the imminent threat of the tree pest Pine Processionary Moth has been announced today (Thursday, April 28).

Pine Processionary Moth is present in North Africa and Southern Europe, in particular in Italy.

It has also recently been spreading northwards through France. As a result of this legislation, it will no longer be possible to import pine and cedar trees grown in countries where Pine Processionary Moth is established, such as Italy and France.

Exceptions apply in cases where Pest Free Areas are designated, or where the trees have been grown under complete physical protection for their lifetime.

The new emergency regulation, in the form of a Statutory Instrument, will strengthen requirements for the import of pine and cedar trees into Great Britain from Friday, April 29. The bolstered measures will only permit imports of these species, of which are host species of Pine Processionary Moth, from:

• Countries officially confirmed by the National Plant Protection Organisation as free of Pine Processionary Moth;
• Officially designated pest-free areas;
• Nurseries where the trees have been grown under complete physical protection for their lifetime.

The controls apply to all businesses which import living plants and their constituent parts, including live plant foliage and plants for planting, into Great Britain.

The restrictions do not apply to processed plant products, such as timber, wood chips and packaging materials.

This action comes following the confirmed interception of Pine Processionary Moth on a small number of pine trees at tree nurseries in England and Wales, imported from France in February this year. Pine Processionary Moth larvae and caterpillars can cause significant damage to pine and other conifer tree species, and pose a risk to human and animal health.

Professor Nicola Spence, UK chief plant health officer, said:

“We have taken authoritative and immediate action to protect tree nurseries and the wider natural environment from the imminent threat of Pine Processionary Moth.

“The increasingly globalised plant trade, along with climate change, continue to present new and emerging risks from pests and diseases.

“Strengthening our rigorous standards of biosecurity – already among the highest in Europe – will both minimise the net potential losses to our existing treescapes and serve to realise our long-term vision for the nation’s trees and woodlands.”

The post Emergency legislation introduced on imports of pine and cedar trees appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A new requirement for the forestry sector will be piloted to combat the threat from pests and diseases and further strengthen UK biosecurity, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have announced today (Wednesday, April 20).

The Biosecure Procurement Requirement means that, from June 2022, applicants for funding under the England Woodland Creation Offer and the Future Farming Tree Health Pilot must commit to sourcing their trees from suppliers who are either accredited under the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme or who have passed a Ready to Plant assessment, as provided by Fera Science Ltd.

This pilot, which will run for 12 months from June, will enable suppliers to demonstrate that their operational practices comply with the industry benchmark Plant Health Management Standard, Defra said.

This standard includes protocols which are key to developing a robust plant-health management system and sets out practical requirements for suppliers to help protect the plant supply chain.

The overarching aim of the requirement, however, is to address risks to biosecurity and minimise the net loss to existing treescape.

Commenting, Prof. Nicola Spence, UK chief plant health officer, said:

“Our biosecurity standards are among the highest in Europe. As we build back greener, we must consider new and ambitious ways to not simply maintain these standards but further strengthen them.

“By leading the way with this new pilot, we are addressing the significant and increasing threat of pests and diseases and building a strong biosecurity culture across the country.”

Sir William Worsley, Forestry Commission chair, added:

“Our nation’s biosecurity will be integral to the success of our tree planting ambitions.

“This pilot will ensure that the forestry sector plays its role in upholding rigorous standards of biosecurity and in doing so, safeguards our much-loved trees and forests for generations to come.”

The post New requirement for forestry sector on tree souring appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry Commission has today (Thursday, April 14) introduced new measures to combat the spread of the tree disease Phytophthora pluvialis, following further findings in areas across England.

The new measures include:

• Extensions to existing demarcated areas in Devon and Cornwall, following further identifications of the pathogen in these areas;
• A new demarcated area in Surrey, following the identification of the pathogen in woodlands in this area;
• A new demarcated area in Gloucestershire, following further findings along the border with Wales.

These notices will all come into force next Thursday, April 21.

The commission is also urging woodland managers, landowners and the forestry industry to remain vigilant for signs of the disease.

Nicola Spence, the UK’s chief plant health officer, said:

“We are taking robust and swift action against the findings of Phytophthora pluvialis at these sites, as part of our well-established biosecurity protocol for tree pests and diseases.

“I urge all sectors to support efforts to tackle this pathogen by checking the health of western hemlock and Douglas-fir trees.

“Key symptoms to look out for are lesions on the stem, branch or roots. Any sightings should be reported to the Forestry Commission via its TreeAlert online portal.

Phytophthora pluvialis

The fungal-like pathogen is known to affect a variety of tree species, including western hemlock, Douglas fir and several pine species.

The disease was originally reported in the US (Oregon) in 2013 and in New Zealand in 2014, where it was reported to have caused needle cast – where needles turn brown and fall off – as well as shoot dieback and lesions on the stem, branches and roots.

In September, Phytophthora pluvialis was discovered in a woodland in Cornwall, England, affecting mature western hemlock and Douglas-fir trees. Further outbreaks have since been found in England, Scotland and Wales.

However, the disease has never been detected in Europe before this year, so research is ongoing to understand if other potentially susceptible species could become impacted.

The post New measures announced to combat spreading tree disease appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

However, a leading forester in Northern Ireland is calling for the market in carbon units (CU), or credits, to be fully regulated.

Premier Woodlands managing director, John Hetherington has confirmed that trading values of €10-15 per potential carbon unit (PCU) are now available. Verified carbon units (VCU) are worth much more, these all are one-off payments.

He told Agriland: “These values reflect the potential of woodlands and forests to sequestrate carbon.

“One recent new woodland creation development is indicating that its 100ha of mainly conifers has the potential to secure up to 30,000CU.”

But, as he went on to point out, the market for these trading assets is unregulated.

"This has to change, if farmers and other landowners committing to invest in forestry development are to have the full security they need, in what is a very long-term commitment," Hetherington added.

"There are also a number of potential restrictions, in terms of future plantation management options, for those committing to forestry development projects that are linked to the trading of CUs.

“These would have to be ironed out in full, before landowners would have the confidence to get involved in projects of this nature."

Preference for broadleaf in carbon markets

A case in point, according to the Premier Woodlands representative, is the preference given to broadleaf planting within CU trading schemes relative to conifers.

“This approach is fundamentally flawed," he explained.

“This is particularly so in cases where conifer plantations are specifically managed to produce construction grade timber. In these instances, the wood produced is actually storing carbon for many additional decades.”

Hetherington confirmed that significant numbers of Irish farmers are actively looking at off-farm tree planting projects as a way of reducing their business carbon footprint as a whole.

“This is already happening,” he confirmed.

“Land prices may financially inhibit the planting of trees here in Ireland.

"However, there are significant tracts of very suitable land available for this purpose in Scotland where we have seen very significant prices increases recently paid for potential planting land.

“Trees have the potential to sequester large quantities of carbon dioxide over many years. An added attraction is the fact that all timber sales are free of any taxation.

“Tree planting will play a critically important role as society as a whole faces up to the challenge of climate change.

“But farmers and other land owners must be adequately supported both by the public and private sectors in making all of this happen," he said.

The post Carbon markets continue to expand but call for regulation appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A new three-year apprenticeship programme for the forestry sector has been announced today (Monday, February 7) by the Forestry Commission (FC).

The Development Woodland Officer Programme, led by the FC, the University of Cumbria and the Institute of Chartered Foresters, will be the first degree-level forestry apprenticeship to be offered in the UK.

Upon completion of the programme, successful graduates will earn a Professional Forester Apprenticeship (equivalent to Level 6), a Professional Forester BSc (Hons) and the potential to gain Chartered Forester status with the Institute of Chartered Foresters. 

Programme participants will undertake academic studies in forestry management at the University of Cumbria, practical experience in Forestry Commission area teams across England, and nine months of wider sector placements to further build their skills and experience, enhancing future employment prospects.

The overarching aim of this new programme is to upskill and foster a highly skilled workforce within the forestry sector and has been launched today to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week, which this year has the theme ‘Building the Future‘.

“This new programme offers a new and exciting career pathway into the forestry sector for people from all backgrounds and abilities,” said FC chief executive Richard Stanford.

“It offers the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience, a BSc (Hons) and the potential to gain Chartered Forester status with the Institute of Chartered Foresters. The Forestry Commission apprentices will be paid and will gain all these qualifications, with zero tuition fees and no need for a student loan.

“We are looking for ambitious, driven individuals who are eager to support our ambitious tree planting plans and ensure our precious woods and forests continue to flourish for generations to come.” 

Up to 45 Development Woodland Officer positions will be created over the next three years with the first cohort of 15 starting in September this year (2022). Recruitment for the Development Woodland Officer Programme will open in spring 2022.

The post Forestry sector apprenticeship programme announced appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

New cases of the tree disease Phytophthora pluvialis have been confirmed in Talybont-on-Ust, Mynydd Du and Radnor.

P. pluvialis was discovered in Wales for the very first time back in December 2021; there are now a total of seven affected sites across the country.

The disease was originally reported in the US (Oregon) in 2013 and in New Zealand in 2014, and had not been detected in Europe before 2021.

It affects a variety of tree species, including western hemlock, Douglas fir and several pine species.

It is reported to cause needle cast (where needles turn brown and fall off), shoot dieback, and lesions on the stem, branches, and roots.

After the first discovery of the disease in December, Climate Change Minister Julie James said:

“We will continue to work with partner agencies across the UK to share information, experience and understanding to ensure a joint approach to monitoring and managing the situation.”

A full online symptom guide has been prepared by the UK government and the Forestry Commission (FC), which has also introduced a number of measures to control the disease across England.

These measures, which help to prevent accidental movement of the pathogen, came into force on Thursday, January 27.

Woodland managers, landowners, tree nurseries and the forestry industry should remain vigilant for signs of the disease and report any sighting via the TreeAlert online portal.

The post More cases of Phytophthora pluvialis confirmed in Wales appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A new drive to encourage farmers and landowners across England to plant and manage more trees has been launched today (Tuesday, January 25).

With the Plant the Future, Put Down Roots campaign, the Forestry Commission and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are shedding light on the variety of grant schemes and free specialist advice available.

The campaign also highlights the benefits of tree planting, saying it offers opportunities to diversify, generate extra income, increase farm productivity and enhance your land – while complementing food production.

“These grants are available to help farmers and landowners grow and manage more trees as a profitable part of their overall business model, and I would encourage them to look at that support where they feel that it is the right choice for their business,” said Farming Minister Victoria Prentis.

“Trees and woodland play a vital role in protecting the planet and help mitigate the increasing threat of climate change and biodiversity loss,” said Forestry Commission chief executive Richard Stanford.

“Creating woods can be an excellent way to diversify farms, especially on marginal land – and there are exciting opportunities to grow and manage trees in a way that maximises the benefits they provide for climate, nature, people and the economy.

“As the government’s forestry experts, we continue to support farmers and landowners in finding ways to grow trees in a way which meets their individual needs and ambitions.

“I would strongly urge everyone considering woodland creation to look into this promotional drive, contact their local Woodland Creation Officer and start to put down roots, to see the tangible benefits which trees can bring to their business,” Stanford concluded.

The post Farmers and landowners encouraged to Put Down Roots appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The UK chief plant health officer has confirmed further findings of the disease in woodlands in the affected areas: Devon, Cornwall and Cumbria. As a result, extended demarcated areas have been introduced.

Although Phytophthora pluvialis has been detected on mature western hemlock and Douglas-fir trees at these sites, it is as yet unknown if the pathogen is the direct cause of the observed symptoms. Investigations are ongoing to determine whether other factors are at play.

These extension notices, which help to prevent accidental movement of the pathogen, come into force on Thursday, January 27.

The notices prohibit the movement of any wood, isolated bark and trees (including live trees, felled or fallen trees, fruit, seeds, leaves or foliage) of the genus Tsuga, Pseudotsuga, Pinus and Notholithocarpus, that has originated within the demarcated area.

Provision is made within the notices to enable plant health inspectors to authorise movements and processing of material from the demarcated area where this can be achieved without risking the spread of Phytophthora pluvialis.

The notices also now include an additional restriction on the felling of susceptible material within the demarcated areas, unless the FC has been notified in writing in advance.

Landowners must provide notice of their intention to fell relevant material at least 14 days in advance of any felling in the demarcated areas. Felling may only commence once written authorisation is provided the Forestry Commission

Woodland managers, landowners, tree nurseries and the forestry industry are also being urged by government to remain vigilant for signs of the disease.

It is reported to cause needle cast (where needles turn brown and fall off), shoot dieback, and lesions on the stem, branches, and roots.

The post Forestry Commission takes action to combat tree disease appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Red Squirrels

However, the study found that this effect is reversed in large non-native conifer plantations as grey squirrels do not thrive in these habitats; as a result the pine marten preys on the red squirrel.

Timber plantations are often promoted as being beneficial to red squirrel conservation, but our results show that they will have a detrimental effect on the species in the future.

The post Non-native conifer plantations may negatively impact red squirrels – study appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The step comes after FLS’ procurement team held discussions with shelter supplier, Cheviot Trees, on finding ways of becoming more sustainable, particularly on finding environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use, plastic tree shelters.

Gareth Waters, FLS’ interim head of operational support, said:

“Our Climate Change Plan commits us to becoming more sustainable across the board and phasing out single-use plastics is high on our to-do list.

This new biodegradable product is not only good for the environment and for wildlife but will also free up time for our local foresters who will no longer need to gather up used tree shelters.

“We’re now encouraging all of our teams across the country to make the environmentally friendly, sustainable choice.

“It’s one of the first, big steps on our journey and we’re looking forward to adopting other innovative solutions as we head towards Net Zero.”

Use of tree shelters

Tree shelters are vitally important to protect young seedlings and trees from browsing damage from deer and other animals.

Every year, FLS uses approximately 200,000 of them, and collecting them for suitable disposal eats up time that could be better spent on other forest management activity.

The new product (Tubex Nature) is manufactured from biodegradable polymers derived from biomass.

Jonathan Cameron, Cheviot Trees’ sales and marketing manager, said;

“We have been working closely with our manufacturing partners over the past few years to help develop a clever and innovative biodegradable solution that provides reliable protection to young trees.”

We’re pleased to provide this next generation of tree shelters to Forestry and Land Scotland.

They are of particular use in locations where collecting shelters would be difficult or sometimes impossible, such as dense woodland or places that are otherwise hard to get to.

The post FLS to introduce biodegradable tree shelters appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Breeding populations were confirmed in two woodlands in Kent in June and July of this year, followed by outbreaks in East Sussex.

A notice enforcing the new measures will come into force on Wednesday, December 22. It will place restrictions on felling susceptible material without prior notification to the Forestry Commission within the limits of the areas and killing any trees of the genus Picea A. Dietr, over 3m in height, without prior notification, within the limits of the area.

It will also prohibit susceptible material being left in the areas, and the movement of susceptible material from said areas, unless authorised in writing by an inspector.

“The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle poses no threat to human health, but can have a serious impact on spruce trees species and the forestry industry,” said UK chief plant health officer Nicola Spence.

We are taking swift and robust action to limit the spread of the outbreaks as part of our well-established biosecurity protocol used for tree pests and diseases. These new restrictions in the demarcated area will further strengthen this strategy, as part of our ongoing eradication efforts.”

Any sighting should be reported to the Forestry Commissions via the TreeAlert online portal, Spence added.

The post Further measures introduced to stop bark beetle pest spreading appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Meetings have already taken place between the organisations to start planning the recovery of at least 4,000ha of woodland that have been affected by the storm.

A new mapping tool, developed by Forest Research and Scottish Forestry, will be invaluable in the recovery process.

For the first time, woodland managers will be able to use the satellite data to get an initial understanding of where the damage has occurred, without the immediate need for extensive and potentially risky site visits.

The most intensive damage to Scotland’s woodlands runs down the east coast, across the Borders and East Lothian, stretching into Galloway. Another swathe of damage runs through Banffshire, Aberdeenshire, Kincardineshire, Angus and into Perthshire.

‘The challenge of climate change’

Environment Minister Màiri McAllan said:

“Storm Arwen provided a salutary lesson of the power of nature and the challenge of climate change. Our people suffered and so, too, did our natural environment.

The impact is evident in the distressing images of flattened forests and woodlands which will take decades, if not centuries to recover from.

“Their loss reminds us of the significant role trees play in our lives, communities, economy and wellbeing.

“Behind this is a monumental clear up operation which is being undertaken by large and small woodland owners.

“Whilst this is being carried out, the message to the public is not to enter into affected forests until they are made safe.

“Forestry might be a long term business, but getting to grips with managing the windblown timber has already begun.

“As more accurate information becomes available, Scotland’s forest industry will be taking decisions on handling the extra volumes of timber that needs to be harvested.

The post Forest industry bodies untie to asses impact of Storm Arwen appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

However, it remains fundamentally opposed to the wholesale and irreversible land use change of largescale forestry expansion on productive agricultural land.

The union said that such growth in recent times has been fuelled by non-agricultural businesses purchasing land for planting to offset carbon emissions and boost their green credentials.

At the same time, this is eroding Scotland’s capacity to improve its self-sufficiency in food.

Cabinet meetings

NFU Scotland met recently with Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon, Minister Mairi McAllan and senior officials from Scottish government and Scottish forestry to discuss its growing concerns.

NFU Scotland vice-president Andrew Connon said:

“On a weekly, if not daily basis, members are contacting us from all parts of the country about the loss of productive Scottish agricultural land to wholesale forestry.

We accept that land use is never a straight choice and integrated land use is clearly a major part of reaching net zero targets.

“However, we are equally clear that optimal land use is the only route to attaining multiple objectives, and that must include food production, climate change ambitions and biodiversity enhancement.

“As well as the existing legal safeguards that preserve Scotland’s very limited ‘prime’ agricultural land from wholesale tree planting, NFU Scotland believes the time is right for a more robust approach to screening planting applications on Scotland’s ‘productive’ agricultural land.

“Meeting with the Cabinet Secretary and Minister, we were able to highlight a number of case studies from across Scotland that illustrated the loss of very productive agricultural land to forestry planting.”

Planting incentives

“We also highlighted how planting incentives and unregulated carbon markets are effectively eroding Scotland’s food security, adding to the risk of simply offshoring our emissions by increasing our reliability on imported products,” he added.

“While the aggregate data on tree planting on land types over recent years shows how well Scotland is doing in reaching the Scottish government’s planting targets, they disguise whether woodland has been integrated within thriving farming enterprises or whether once-productive land has been lost to trees.

“We were keen to stress that loss of agricultural activity, and the families it sustains, also risks irreversible socio-economic downturn in many rural areas and that continuous agricultural land management is the best way to support communities, jobs and incomes across rural Scotland.

Every agricultural business, regardless of tenure, should be in a position to consider viable and practical woodland creation options as part of mainstream agricultural and land use policy.

“However, that is completely different from wholescale farm plantings that take out not only good agricultural land but also the people who are the life and soul of the community.”

The post NFU Scotland meets with Secretary Gougeon to discuss woodland integration appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The fungal-like pathogen known to affect a variety of tree species – including western hemlock, Douglas fir and several pine species – has been discovered on the Welsh Government Woodland Estate in Dyfi Fredt, Gwynedd.

The disease was originally reported in the US (Oregon) in 2013 and in New Zealand in 2014, where it was reported to have caused needle cast – where needles turn brown and fall off – as well as shoot dieback and lesions on the stem, branches and roots.

In September, Phytophthora pluvialis was discovered in a woodland in Cornwall, England, affecting mature western hemlock and Douglas-fir trees. Further outbreaks have been found in Cornwall, Devon, Cumbria, and on one site in the northwest of Scotland.

However, the disease has never been detected in Europe before this year, so research is ongoing to understand if other potentially susceptible species could become impacted.

Commenting, Welsh Climate Change Minister Julie James said:

We will continued to work with partner agencies across the UK to share information, experience and understanding to ensure a joint approach to monitoring and managing the situation.”

People are urged to report sighting via the TreeAlert online portal.

The post Tree disease Phytophthora pluvialis confirmed in Wales appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

I see no reason why Forest Service cannot come up with measures that would allow those committing to FES an entire planting season to get on with the work.”

Continuation of forestry scheme

But we need to see a real commitment on the part of Northern Ireland’s farm minister to allow forestry development to really work for farmers.

Farmers realise the potential that trees have to offer when it comes to sequestering carbon. But they need access to genuine long-term support when it comes to converting all of this potential into reality.”

Presently, all timber income generated from a commercial forestry enterprise is free of all forms of taxation.”

The post Concern at delays in processing forestry applications in NI appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

However, it is also advising that many forests will remain closed as more high winds over the next few days increase the risk of more falling trees in vulnerable, storm battered forests.

Simon Hodgson, FLS chief executive, said:

“It is a mammoth task but we are slowly getting to grips with assessing the levels of damage and risk across all of the forests that we look after, including the 544 visitor sites and trails that we promote on our website.

We do want to open trails as soon as we can safely do so and we are beginning to open up some forests but there are still many locations where the risk to public health and safety is high.

“That risk is only going to increase over the next few days with more high winds potentially dislodging hanging trees or blowing over unstable trees.

“Add in the increasingly wet or icy conditions and you have a dangerous and potentially deadly mix, so we would ask everyone to please observe any and all restrictions in your area.”

Most forests re-opened

Most forests in the north of Scotland have been re-opened for public access as they have been left relatively unscathed by the storm.

Some forests in the west of Scotland have been re-opened to the public but there remain issues at some locations with individual trees, and some trees at recreation sites.

Members of the public are welcome to visit west Scotland forests but must observe all safety, closure and diversion signage.

Forestry and Land Scotland’s web pages will be updated on Mondays and Fridays with the latest access information.

However, forests in the Moray, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perth & Kinross, Fife, the central belt and South Scotland remain closed.

Hodgson added;

“Our teams have diverted all of their effort into working tirelessly with partner agencies across the country, in often difficult and trying conditions, prioritising tree work on locations that provide an immediate risk to people or property.

“Their next priority is providing essential access for communities, neighbours and forestry business.

Some locations are likely to remain closed for some while and will not re-open until the risk to public health and safety resulting from the storm has been dealt with.

“I would like to commend members of the public for bearing with us and thank them for their support as we help deal with the aftermath of Storm Arwen.”

The post Scottish forests begin to reopen to the public after Storm Arwen appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The device counts weevils and notifies foresters when the weevil population gets to critical levels, allowing them to take action at the earliest possible convenience.

The pine Weevil (Hylobius abietis) kills millions of newly planted trees across the UK and Europe, causing an estimated £5 million in direct losses to the UK alone, according to the Scottish government.

The device is applicable anywhere that the weevils are present and has also been adapted to target other pests in agriculture (e.g. the red palm weevil in UAE and Saudi Arabia) and forestry globally.

The development team included the Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish government, the Scottish Funding Council and Forestry and Land Scotland. It was designed by engineering company Spotta.

“Forestry and woodland creation are key to Climate Emergency mitigation and to Scotland achieving Net Zero, so it is vital that newly planted trees are given every opportunity to grow,” said Environment Minister McAllan, who today (Tuesday, November 30) announced the investment.

Tree pests are a serious threat to the economic, social and environmental benefits that forestry provides and finding solutions that help manage them effectively is a huge benefit – not just here in Scotland but potentially much further afield.

“This innovative solution is a tremendous benefit for the forestry sector and the environment.”

The post Scottish gov invest £550,000 in pest management solution appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The annual report, produced by Tilhill and John Clegg & Co, is now in its 23rd year and is regarded as the most comprehensive publicly available record of forestry transactions in the UK.

This year it highlights that the sector is attracting unprecedented levels of interest from commercial forestry buyers and financial institutions.

Some are experienced forestry investors, but others are new market entrants with multiple objectives – part financial and part related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations or natural capital outcomes.

The report shows that in 2021 a total of £200.4 million of forestry properties were traded, making it another record year for the sector.

This year it includes a new section on the market for planting land, which shows an additional £53m worth of land suitable for afforestation transacted, plus £26 million worth of natural capital land.

Key findings of the report include:

• 21% increase in forestry values from just under £16,000 per stocked hectare in 2020 to £19,300 per stocked hectare in 2021. However, the spread in prices paid is wide, with significant geographic and quality variations;
• The total value of the forestry market was £200.40m in 2021 (just over the £200.18m in 2020), with 70 planting land deals also struck worth £53 million;
• 10,400ha (gross) of forestry traded in 2021 (67 forests), compared with 12,500ha in 2020;
• Decrease in average size of a property sold from 206ha in 2020 to 155ha this year;
• Scotland provided largest share of commercial forest market at 76% by value.

Peter Chappell, head of forestry investment, Tilhill said:

“It is an exciting time to be in the forestry sector.

“The positive long-term outlook for timber values has buoyed confidence in how commercial forests can perform as an investment and the wider benefits of trees and woodland to society and the environment are being increasingly recognised.

“The growth in the value of an average stocked hectare has continued unabated, rising 21% this year. This means over the past three years, values have risen from £9,300 in 2018 to £19,300 in 2021.

“The report also highlights how the trend of younger forests achieving the highest unit values has continued into 2021.

This shows investor confidence in timber values, and the fact that younger, second-rotation forests tend to be characterised by high yielding, improved varieties of Sitka spruce, with proven timber extraction and a developed infrastructure.

“There is also some evidence that larger forests over 100ha are now attracting the highest per hectare values as an increasingly competitive market develops for high value deals.”

The post New report shows a record-breaking year for the forestry market appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Defra launched the snapshot survey last week and it remains open until Thursday, November 18.

The survey is designed to collect accurate and representative data on the current state of the labour market in key sectors of the UK economy.

This data will then be used to assess the extent to which the supply of labour meets demand and to understand the main drivers behind any labour shortage.

Dairy farmers are urged to fill in the 10-minute survey to highlight the labour issue in the sector.

Managing director, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF), Matt Knight said: “Labour shortage has been an issue in the dairy sector for several years now.

It is currently on the Government’s radar, making now the most critical time to highlight the issue by completing their survey.

“If we don’t speak up now, we can’t expect to see any help from the Government in resolving the labour shortage issue in the dairy sector,” he said.

The survey is completely anonymous and can be accessed here.

The post DEFRA’s labour shortfall survey – deadline approaches appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

"The importance of protecting forests as a core climate mitigation action has received heightened attention and momentum globally through the COP26 pledge by more than one hundred countries to protect and restore the earth’s forests.”

Glenarm Forest project a 'result of innovation'

Lord Antrim, Randal, the 15th Earl of Antrim and current custodian of Glenarm Castle, welcomed the accreditation and thanked those present for their work and support for the project.

The post Glenarm Forest is NI’s first accredited QCC forest conservation project appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The pledge is backed up by almost £14 million in public and private funding.

The countries committing to the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use include Canada, Russia, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Together, these countries contain 85% of the world’s forests – an area of over 13 million square miles.

This commitment will then be supported by public financing from 12 countries, including the UK, from 2021-2025. This money will go towards supporting activities in developing countries, including restoring degraded land, tackling wildfires and supporting the rights of indigenous communities.

The financing will coincide with at least £5.3 billion from the private sector.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the pledge a ‘landmark agreement’.

“Today, at COP26, leaders have signed a landmark agreement to protect and restore the earth’s forests,” he said.

These great teeming ecosystems – these cathedrals of nature – are the lungs of our planet. Forests support communities, livelihoods and food supply, and absorb the carbon we pump into the atmosphere. They are essential to our very survival.

“With today’s unprecedented pledges, we will have a chance to end humanity’s long history as nature’s conqueror, and instead become its custodian.”

Over five years, the UK will commit £1.5 billion to support the forests pledge, including £350 million for tropical forests in Indonesia, £200 million for the LEAF Coalition and £200 million (to a new £1.1 billion fund with seven other donors) to protect the Congo Basin.

28 governments representing 75% of global trade in key commodities that can threated forests (i.e. palm oil, coca and soya) will also sign up to a new Forests, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Statement. This will be a commitment to a common set of actions to deliver sustainable trade and reduce pressure on forests, including support for smallholder farmers and improving transparency of supply chains.

The post COP26: Over 100 leaders commit to end deforestation by 2030 appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The ‘Trees Call to Action Fund’ was announced yesterday (Sunday, October 31). It will allocate funding to up to 24 regional or national projects manager by partnerships of environmental charities, not-for-profit organisations, local authorities and protected landscape bodies.

Grants of £250,000 to £50,000 will be awarded and targeted at regions, activities and costs which are not supported by other government funding for trees, aiming to increase community understanding of and access to trees and woodlands, and boost efforts to increase woodland cover in areas that need it most.

It will also support projects to engage people with trees, create new jobs and develop skills and knowledge, with the aim of increasing the capacity and skills of the sector.

In a statement announcing the fund, Forestry Minister Lord Goldsmith said:

There has never been a more important time for trees and tree planting.

“This new fund will help fund regional and national partnerships of charities, local authorities and others to turn ambitions into actions, to engage communities and landowners in tree planting, and to develop skills to help deliver our England Trees Action Plan.”

The fund will be delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the forestry commission.

Applicants must submit an Expressions of Interest before noon on November 16. Full guidance on how to apply will be published by The Heritage Fund on the opening day of Wednesday, November 3.

“I would urge any prospective applicant to apply, together we will grow trees, woods and forests to make our nation more resilient for future generations,” added Richard Stanford, Forestry Commission chief executive.

“To meet the climate and biodiversity crises we need to grow and manage more trees – this needs to be done as a national effort so we are better connecting people with nature and creating more green jobs. This Fund will have a hugely important role in helping us realise these ambitions, as set out in the England Trees Action Plan,” he said.

The post New £6 million fund aims to increase woodland cover and create jobs appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The UK chief plant health officer has confirmed the finding, following routine Forestry Commission plant health surveillance activities.

Phytophthora pluvialis, is a fungus-like pathogen known to affect a variety of tree species, including western hemlock, Douglas fir, tanoak and several pine species (in particular radiata pine).

It is reported to cause needle cast (where needles turn brown and fall off), shoot dieback and lesions on the stem, branches and roots.

This is the first report of this pathogen in Europe. At this stage, it is unknown if Phytophthora pluvialis is the direct cause of the observed symptoms which have been found on mature western hemlock and Douglas-fir trees.

Further surveillance

Forestry Commission, Forest Research and the Animal and Plant Health Agency are rapidly conducting further surveillance and diagnostic analysis to understand more about the pathogen and ensure that any required control measures are swiftly undertaken to stop its spread.

Nicola Spence, the UK chief plant health officer said:

“We are taking swift and robust action against this finding of Phytophthora pluvialis, as part of our well-established biosecurity protocol used for tree pests and diseases.

I urge all sectors to support efforts to tackle this pathogen by checking the health of western hemlock and Douglas-fir trees. Key symptoms to look for are lesions on the stem, branch or roots.

“Any sightings should be reported to the Forestry Commission via its Tree Alert online portal.”

To protect the country against this pathogen, the Forestry Commission has introduced a demarcated area in Cornwall, to restrict the movement of materials capable of spreading the disease.

The post Forestry Commission to act on new tree disease found in Cornwall appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Setting out the organisation’s proposed direction of travel and priorities for the next three years, the draft plan describes actions and priorities that will contribute to the delivery of a number of Scottish government priorities.

The consultation will run from October 11 until November 22, 2021, with the final, agreed plan published on 1 April 2022.

FLS chief executive, Simon Hodgson, said;

“We are in a unique position to make a significant contribution towards mitigating the climate emergency and helping Scotland arrive at Net Zero.

“But at the same time we are also well placed to manage Scotland’s national forests and land in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry; conserves and enhances the environment; and delivers health, wellbeing and economic benefits for people and communities.

“Our proposals for how we deliver this are set out in our draft Corporate Plan and we are inviting all who have an interest in the national forests and land to give us their views on the outcomes and priorities that we have identified.

We know that Scotland’s national forests and land mean many things to many people, and all views offered will help shape how we work and what we do over the next three years

“I would like to thank in advance everyone who takes part.”

Key priorities

Key priorities include protecting Scotland’s forests from new and existing threats, responding to the biodiversity challenge and developing the business systems and staff skills to enable FLS to adapt to changing conditions and challenges as effectively as possible.

In helping also to create a more successful country, FLS intends to develop more commercial opportunities for the long-term benefit of the land that it manages, increase the number of opportunities for communities to benefit and to adapt to changing visitor and tourism requirements.

The post Views sought on new Corporate Plan for FLS appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A limited number of felling licence applications directly related to the management of tree pests and diseases may be exempt from being included on the Public Consultation Register before the trees are felled, where the Forestry Commission deem that tree felling needs to be expedited for an overriding biosecurity or public safety benefit.

The change will come into effect from October 22, 2021 and will be applied by the Forestry Commission to very specific situations, for example to prevent the spread of quarantine pests or diseases, such as Ips typographus (spruce bark beetle), or to facilitate the prompt removal of ash trees infected with ash dieback and growing within falling distance of roads.

It does not impact on other conditions related to the issuing of felling licences, such as the need to restock.

The outcome of all felling licence applications will continue to be published on the Forestry Commission Decision Public Register, for public record.

‘Tree felling is a carefully controlled activity’

Prof. Nicola Spence, the UK’s chief plant health officer, said:

“To protect trees and woodland cover, tree felling is a carefully controlled activity.

“This change has been made to accelerate a small number of applications where swift action is required to deal with specific tree pests and diseases as part of our strong response to the management of these threats.

Everyone involved in the felling of trees must always ensure that a felling licence or other permissions are in place before any felling is carried out.

“It is an offence to fell trees without a felling licence where one would have been required, and anyone involved [the owner, agent and timber merchant or contractor] can be prosecuted.”

The post Forestry Commission to simplify licence application process appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

According to ChristmasTrees.co.uk, there is a real threat of a lack of trees this festive season for three main reasons.

The first, is new import regulations making importing trees into the UK more difficult.

The second is the struggle to find labour needed to look after and harvest trees and the third, is that the cost of raw materials have soared, including wood for pallets, labour, feriliser, labels and transport.

The Christmas tree business is just one of many UK sectors facing problems due labour shoratges, tighter import controls and material prices rising.

According to The British Christmas Tree Growers Association, between eight and 10 million real Christmas trees are sold in the UK each year, and it is estimated that the UK usually imports between one million and three million of those Christmas trees each year, from countries elsewhere in Europe.

Mark Rofe, who owns the online Christmas tree retailer Christmastrees.co.uk said: “We’ve spoken to our UK growers and they are all facing the same challenges.

“They are seeing an increase in demand for their product, especially from clients who would usually import their trees from Europe, but are keen to avoid any red-tape that could increase costs or cause delays for what is of course a highly seasonal and time-sensitive business.”

Mark Rofe

“Our main grower supplies the market with 100,000 Christmas trees each year and employs between 50 and 70 workers during the peak of the season.

“In previous years they were reliant on foresters, mostly from Eastern Europe who would come over for the harvest and then would return to their home country afterwards, but since the Brexit transition they just aren’t able to come over to work now.

They have found it a real challenge to cover their workforce with local labour.”

While haulage costs have increased, there’s also a real nervousness about the ability to actually obtain lorries, Mark added, with one of his suppliers saying:

“It’s crazy; haulage is up 20% to 60%, and we don’t even know if we will get them”.

Mark concluded by saying it will be more challenging to get hold of a real Christmas tree this festive season, and that if you are able to get one, you can expect to be paying more than you would have in previous years.

With Christmas trees taking an average of 10 years to grow, it’s not a case of simply just cutting more trees, especially when you don’t have the labour to harvest them, or the haulage to transport them across the country, he said.

The post Labour shortage: Will we have enough Xmas trees this year? appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Carbon capture study

The study applied a novel, time-dependent assessment to capture the complex dynamics of carbon uptake, storage and partial eventual release back to the atmosphere, alongside product and energy substitution by wood products, over a 100-year timeframe.

“Because new forests won’t be harvested for another 50 years, the standard assessment approach of applying current technology emission factors to wood value chains is inaccurate.

Carbon capture and storage technology

However, the study also showed that a large share of carbon removed from forests during harvesting is locked up for many decades in wood products, such as sawn-wood and panel boards used for construction.

“E.g. a significant share of wood produced in a forest planted today may not be combusted for another 100 years or more, if it is used in a hierarchical value chain that prioritises higher-value use in construction or advanced bio-based materials."

Long-term prospects for commercial forestry

They say that these new results indicate that, where forest growth rates are high (e.g. temperate wet climates), new commercial conifer forests could deliver up to 269% more climate mitigation than semi-natural broadleaf forests by 2120.

Mixed forestry

The post Research: Commercial forestry could deliver 269% more climate mitigation appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Forestry England Woodland Partnership is a chance to diversify landholding and farming businesses. It requires limited financial investment, no forestry expertise and guarantees regular payments.

As part of the Nature for Climate Fund to support the government’s tree planting commitment, the scheme aims to create significant new areas of high-quality, biodiverse woodlands across England.

Forestry England is looking for applications from a wide range of landowners able to offer a minimum of 50ha for a long-term lease of between 60 and 120 years.

Once a lease partnership is agreed, Forestry England will design, plant and manage every site as part of the nation’s forests including any local consultations or engagement.

This means landowners will see thriving woodland established on their land without the need for capital investment or their own forestry expertise and will receive an annual rental payment for the duration of the lease.

Allowing public access

Each new woodland created will allow public access, bringing health and wellbeing opportunities to local people.

Sitting alongside existing grants and incentives available for woodland creation, the new scheme is open for applications from now until June 1, 2021.

To be suitable for a lease partnership sites will need to meet several criteria, including being accessible to both Forestry England vehicles, and the public, once the woodland is established.

Forestry England believes in the ‘right tree in the right place’ and some sites won’t be suitable for woodland creation.

Landowners will have a chance to discuss this when they apply and Forestry England will make detailed assessments before developing full proposals for new woodlands, which will all meet the UK Forestry Standard.

Forestry Minister Lord Goldsmith said:

“This scheme could be the perfect fit for landowners, local authorities, farmers and land managers looking to help tackle the climate and nature crises now upon us, and I urge anyone thinking about creating woodlands to apply.

As part of our ambitious tree planting commitments and commitment to increase access to nature, we need to see thriving biodiverse woodlands established.

“This scheme will not only contribute towards climate mitigation, but also provide a huge range of other benefits for the environment, nature and people,” he concluded.

The post Forestry England launches woodland creation scheme for landowners appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

From January 2013, Pritesh Ladwa was the sole director of The Forest Project Ltd, which was incorporated in June 2010.

While he was director, Ladwa received six grants from the Forestry Commission between March 2013 and April 2014, worth almost £635,000, to create woodlands in South Yorkshire, County Durham, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

The Forest Project, however, did not own any of the sites when making the applications and thereafter, inaccurately claimed to the Forestry Commission that in every case all work had been completed.

It was found that Ladwa had not ensured the company adhered to the terms and conditions of the grants and the Forestry Commission asked for the grants to be returned.

Company liquidation

The Forest Project Ltd then went into liquidation in August 2018 owing £536,870 to the Forestry Commission. Only one grant had been repaid following a confiscation order from earlier criminal proceedings in 2016.

The liquidation of The Forest Project triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service into Ladwa’s conduct.

Investigators discovered that, as well as the misconduct relating to the grants, between January and July 2018 he had paid himself more than £67,000. He also transferred £30,000 to an associate following the sale of company assets.

Pritesh Ladwa failed to deliver accounting records to the liquidator to explain the reason for these transactions, which took place after the Forestry Commission had sent invoices to reclaim the grants.

On January 22, the Secretary of State accepted an undertaking from Pritesh Ladwa banning him from acting as a company director for 11 years after he did not dispute that he provided inaccurate information to the Forestry Commission and failed to adhere to the terms of conditions of the six grants he received.

Ladwa’s ban started on February 12, 2021 and means that he is banned from directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company.

The post Forestry director given 11-year ban after fraudulently claiming £635,000 appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

He believes that the gold plating of the new Brexit trade deal / Northern Ireland Protocol arrangements by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is at the heart of the problem.

“I can see no justification whatsoever, for the stance that has been taken by our relevant government department, so minister, please get this sorted out. What’s needed is a more pragmatic approach by DAERA,” Hetherington said.

“My understanding is that only in cases of standards deviating between Northern Ireland and GB would new inspection procedures be required.

“I hardly think that the standards being achieved by nurseries in England and Scotland have deviated that much from the EU norm over the past few weeks.

Premier Woodlands is one of the larger forestry development companies in the UK with operations in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Irish trees

Hetherington confirmed that he is able to source young trees from nurseries in the Republic of Ireland for planting north of the border.

“These supplies account now for about 80% of our total NI requirement. The remaining 20% includes trees of different species, seed origins or genetics that are only available in GB,” he said.

“In years when the UK was short of specific tree types, nurseries in the Republic of Ireland would have made up the shortfall. And vice versa.

“All of this vitally important cooperation has now been put at risk on the back of the new Brexit arrangements,” he said.

Outlook for NI forestry

Turning to the issue of the general prospects for private forestry in Northern Ireland, the Premier Woodlands managing director welcomed the decision taken at Stormont to extend the Forestry Expansion Scheme (FES) for another two years.

“But, here again, there are difficulties,” he stressed.

“First off, Forest Service is not allowing minor changes to tree planting or species specifications without the need for a lengthy review process.

The reality is that a number of tree species specified in FES applications that were approved for planting this winter are already no longer available because of the new importation regulations.

“However, any delays in planting out a specified site completely, beyond the end of May this year, will result in the land owner incurring grant penalties.

“Forest Service’s approach makes no sense at all, given that their department’s tree importation regulations are causing the delays in the first place,” he concluded.

The post Northern Ireland’s forestry development sector in peril appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The 22nd edition of the annual report, produced by Tilhill and John Clegg & Co, highlights that the forestry and woodland sector has a very positive outlook.

The report shows that in 2020 a total of £200.18 million of forestry properties traded, the highest value traded on record, with the average cost of a forest property more than doubling from £1.56 million in 2019 to £3.28 million in 2020.

Key findings include:

• 39% increase in forestry values from £11,749 per stocked hectare in 2019 to £15,962 per stocked hectare in 2020;
• 58% increase in total value of forestry market from £126.5 million in 2019 to £200.18 million in 2020;
• 16,595ha (gross) of forestry traded in 2020 (61 forests);
• Increase in average size of a property sold from 136ha in 2019 to 206ha this year;
• Scotland provided the largest share of commercial forest market at 69% by value;
• England shows welcome increase in planting with 2,330ha, up from 1,420ha last year;
• Wales planted 80ha, the lowest annual figure seen in 50 years.

Bruce Richardson, head of investment and property, Tilhill, said:

We have seen a truly astonishing year for forestry values. Despite the problems with the Covid-19 related restrictions, the UK forestry market has performed robustly through 2020, producing record results in scale and unit prices rising by 39% over the past year.

“The market in 2020 has been very competitive. This year most properties were sold above guide price.

“The most striking story this year has been the level of interest shown in younger restock sites as opposed to the more mature forests.

The younger forests are attracting higher unit prices per ha partly because the 2020 market included some very high-quality younger forestry in prime locations.

“We believe these prices show investor confidence in the future of the timber market, based on evidence that the improved varieties of spruce, a result of many years of genetic research, planted in recent years are performing as forecast with improved yield and form,” he concluded.

The post Forestry values surge in ‘astonishing’ year for the sector appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Dick Brothers has the largest turnover of any forestry company in the UK with an annual turnover figure of £10 million.

Davy Dick, managing director of Dick Brothers, said: “We are delighted to be joining the BSW family.

Whilst it is very much business as usual, we are excited to be working with the BSW team to continue the growth of the business and enhance the services we can bring our customers.

“We would also like to thank our previous owners, Faro Capital, for their support and investment in the business over recent years.”

‘This is fantastic news for BSW’

Tony Hackney, CEO of BSW, said:

“This is fantastic news for BSW. Dick Brothers is a business with strong heritage, fantastic prospects and one that we believe will bring huge value to BSW.

Whilst operations at Dick Brothers and BSW will remain largely the same, there will be a number of areas for our businesses to support each other and we look forward to working with the Dick family to grow the business as part of the wider BSW Group.

Aidan Robson, partner at Endless LLP which owns the BSW Group, said:

“We are delighted to be supporting BSW with its acquisition of Dick Brothers and we hope this is the first of many acquisitions BSW will be undertaking over the coming years.

“Through our ownership of BSW, and now Dick Brothers, we are committed to developing and growing UK forestry as a whole and the environmental and economic benefits this will bring.”

The post BSW Group announces takeover of Dick Brothers Forestry appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Announced in the spring, the National Forest will be a long-term project matching the scale and ambition of the Wales Coast Path, linking together a network of woodlands across Wales.

As well as improving existing woodlands to meet the National Forest standard, plans will also see more trees planted by the Welsh government in collaboration with partners such as communities; farmers; foresters; and public bodies.

Along with providing spaces for leisure and nature, new managed woodlands created for the National Forest will also help to capture and store carbon – and the timber will provide a sustainable resource for construction.

The 14 new sites announced today are part of the Welsh government estate, and are managed and maintained by Natural Resources Wales.

The branding marking the National Forest has also been unveiled, with the logo and other materials revealed today.

Climate week Wales

The announcement comes as part of Climate Week Wales, during which representatives from Welsh Government and partners will discuss the route to COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow next year – and Wales’ first carbon budget.

Next year, the Welsh government will also work alongside partners to discuss the features and benefits which new and existing woodland could provide before they can form part of the National Forest – with good existing infrastructure and connectivity including bridleways, pathways and access.

The National Forest would also create connected woodlands across the length and breadth of Wales.

Alongside establishing the National Forest, earlier this year also saw the Welsh government launched a new window of the Glastir Woodland Creation scheme, with a fourfold increase in the budget to £8 million.

The scheme received more than 350 expressions of interest from people wanting to plant new woodlands in Wales and contracts have now been offered to successful applicants.

A further £9 million window of the scheme will also open this month, leading to more than £17 million allocated to woodland creation this year – the largest such allocation since devolution, and more than the first eight windows of the Glastir Woodland Creation scheme put together

Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs said:

I am delighted to announce the very first sites which will form part of our National Forest.

“They are among the very best woodland in Wales, and will serve as exemplars for the benefits we would expect from other sites and new woodlands before they could become part of the National Forest.”

The post Welsh forest locations earmarked as ‘exemplar sites’ appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The new strategy recognises the key role the sector has in addressing the challenges of reversing the decline in biodiversity, climate change, and supporting the green recovery from Covid-19, and science and innovation’s contribution in this.

The next set of research programmes will reflect this and help support a thriving industry and job creation, whilst maximising the contribution woodlands and forestry can make to improving our natural environment.

Forestry in the UK is a vital sector, with forestry and primary wood processing generating £2.5 billion Gross Value Added (GVA) a year, from a total woodland area of 3.2 million hectares.

The strategy sets out the high level outcomes, themes and areas of research interest identified by the Welsh, UK and Scottish governments and forestry stakeholders including the Forestry Commission.

It also outlines how that research will be monitored and communicated.

The seven shared priorities identified include research on the following themes:

• Sustainable forest management in light of environmental change;
• Markets for forest products and services;
• Societal benefits from trees, woods and forests;
• Resource assessment and sector monitoring;
• Achieving multiple ecosystem benefits;
• Woodland creation and expansion;
• Tree health and biosecurity.

Welcoming the strategy’s publication, the Welsh government Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths, said:

Forestry in the UK is a vital sector, generating enormous environmental and economic benefits. As we seek to increase woodland creation to tackle the climate emergency and work towards a green recovery from Covid-19, a strategic approach to forestry research is more important than ever.

“Our forests face a number of challenges from pests and diseases, and in adapting to climate change. That is why it is so important to have robust and innovative science to guide decisions and policy.

“This new strategy will play a key role in making sure our forests are resilient and healthy and ensuring the sector has a sustainable future.”

‘Our green recovery’

UK government Forestry Minister Lord Goldsmith said:

Growing and protecting the UK’s forests is an integral part of our green recovery from coronavirus and fight against climate change, which is why we’re committed to increasing tree planting across the UK to 30,000ha per year by 2025.

“Using the brilliant expertise of Forest Research and other research providers, this new strategy gives us the framework needed to ensure we maintain sustainable and resilient woodlands for decades to come.”

The Scottish government Rural Economy Secretary, Fergus Ewing, said:

This strategy is important – the research emanating from it will support our mission to promote sustainable forest management alongside expanding our woodland cover to help meet the current climate emergency.

“Sound research and science is also key to helping the forestry sector respond and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, by supporting economic growth and green jobs.”

The post New Science and Innovation strategy for forestry published appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

That’s according to a report in the The Guardian.

The publication reports that this is the “fifth time in a year that allegations have surfaced” linking JBS to farmers in the Amazon that have been associated with illegal deforestation.

The article states that photographs taken by a JBS truck driver show cattle being transported “from a farm which had land under embargo after being fined for deforestation…to a ‘clean’ farm which then sold cattle on to JBS”.

The photographs, according to The Guardian, “appear to indicate that JBS is in contact with at least one indirect supplier who has been sanctioned for deforestation”.

JBS has reportedly disputed some of the claims within the article.

Previous controversy

Some readers might remember that JBS was embroiled in controversy when it was one of more than 30 companies raided by Brazilian authorities as part of Operation Weak Flesh – back in 2017.

The raids took place in response to allegations that some of the country’s biggest meat processors had been “selling rotten beef and poultry for years”, according to the reports from the BBC.

The BBC said at the time that “three meat processing plants have been closed and another 21 are under scrutiny”.

While some of the meat produced by the factories was consumed domestically, much of it was exported to Europe. It’s worth noting that Brazil is still the world’s largest exporter of red meat.

The raids were carried out by federal police in almost 200 locations. Over 1,000 officers and officials were involved in the large-scale operation.

Among the allegations was a charge that politicians and official health inspectors were, in some instances, bribed by plant managers.

The post New evidence ‘appears to link’ Brazilian meat giant to Amazon deforestation appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

As a worldwide public health threat, the Covid-19 virus outbreak has become a fast-evolving global pandemic with both short and long-term economic implications.

While governments around the world enact severe control measures to limit the spread of the disease, global trade and equity markets are scrambling to make sense of potential economic consequences and respond accordingly.

Lockdown environment

At the time of writing, according to the report, domestic timber markets were starting to experience the realities of working in a lockdown environment, and by early April many processors had adopted reduced shift patterns or site closures.

The most significant impact has been in the cessation of building work, which removed sawlog demand in a matter of days.

Some markets have been resilient, namely: roundwood for biomass that feeds some hospital and care home heating systems; and palletwood, on the back of an unprecedented logistical effort to keep the country fed and medical supplies moving.

Naturally, global trade, which supplies 80% of the UK timber requirement, is stalling and supply chains are being tested as processors and factories close, ports idle and shipping movements slow.

With the length and depth of any economic slowdown still largely unknown, the impact of the virus is best classed by an “estimated recovery period”. A prolonged pandemic is expected to have a “significant bearing on general economic activity and substantial follow-on effects to consumer wealth, income and spending”.

Indeed, if the opposite occurs and disease control measures allow for a faster return to normal operation, follow-on effects may be reduced, and some commentators are predicting a strong ‘bounce’ late in 2020 and through next year, stated the report.

For the UK, timber prices will ultimately be driven by availability of imported stock and demand from the house building sector. A large proportion of timber products used in the UK are imported and domestic stocks and processors are not capable of countering any large shortfall.

Supply chains, while paused, are as yet to be majorly affected; however, with isolation and social distancing measures now impacting on non-essential business, including building and construction, major disruption in demand is conceivable over the short to medium term.

The post Forestry and timber markets face new challenges over the coming years – report appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This figure of £121 million represents a -2% reduction in overall sales value compared to 2018.

In spite of this, Savills research shows that when looking back to 2011, with the exception of 2015 and 2018, the total value of forest sales is highest in 2019 (figure 1).

Figure 1. Image source: The Forestry Market

There was a corresponding fall in the area of forestry traded, reducing by -4% from 14,900ha in 2018 to 14,400ha during 2019.

With the exception of 2015, when forest sales were bolstered by a large portfolio sale, figure 2 (below) illustrates that against a reduction in the number of hectares traded, the average value per hectare of forestry sold has generally increased since 2011.

Figure 2. Image source: The Forestry Market

Savills analysis of the 2019 sales data shows the average gross value increased by 17% to £9,900/ha, which translates to an increase of 25% per net productive hectare to £13,100, a trend following previous years.

Although average values provide an excellent basis for trend and comparative analysis, forestry values are diverse and price is dependent on a range of factors, including location, accessibility, tree species, average age and timber volume/quantity.

Furthermore, Savills analysis also shows that the proportion of multi-rotation forests in the sample is increasing year on year. Due to the drop off in forest planting in the 1990s, even aged properties are now rare and restructured properties with a wide age range of mature and immature timber are now the market norm.

These have “different valuation dynamics as the prices combine both the immediate value realisable from felling age timber” and the “expectation value that younger trees have”. This, according to Savills, allows investors to take a positive approach to pricing, as they can support value from different aspects, which has led to enhanced asset values.

Regional breakdown

Scotland

According to the Savills report, analysis shows that North Scotland is a lower value area, due to the poorer physical growing conditions, variable tree growth and extended distance to timber markets.

However, the 2019, analysis reveals that across the market North Scotland witnessed the highest rise in average values from £5,630 to £8,180 (45%) per net productive hectare. The rise compares to average annual growth of 7% over the past seven years.

Figure 3. Image source: The Forestry Market

Furthermore, according to the report, this reflects improving timber prices in the region as markets become more competitive, and also a distillation of money from the prime market areas as investors become frustrated by the lack of purchasing opportunities.

With the exception of Central Scotland – where the number of hectares sold was largely unchanged – North Scotland was the only region to sell more hectares in 2019 than 2018, reporting an increase of 800ha.

In relation to Central Scotland, the average value of net productive forest rose by 31% during the 2019 forest year to £12,760/ha. This sharp rise compares to average annual growth of 6% between 2012 and 2018 and was largely a result of some high prices paid in Argyll, which is now considered a mainstream investment area.

Although Central Scotland experienced no real change in the number of hectares sold, it had the largest market share across Scotland, England and Wales at 34% with just under 5,000ha transacted.

In reference to South Scotland, in the 2019 forest year average values rose by 38% to £15,170 per net productive hectare. This strong growth follows a slight dip in 2018, according to the report.

Although the number of hectares sold was -17% less than the 2018 forest year, South Scotland’s market share was the second largest of all the regions.

In Scotland, the south remains the “most competitive area for timber marketing”, and forests here “benefit from excellent physical conditions leading to fast, even growth”.

England and Wales

In line with the previous year’s average, values are boosted by a scarcity of productive woodland for sale (figure 4).

Figure 4. Image source: The Forestry Market

The average price of commercial forestry traded in England and Wales is higher than any Scottish region and since 2013 has cost over £10,000 per productive hectare.

Although the 2019 forest year reports a slower rate of value growth in England and Wales (5%) compared to the Scottish regions, average net productive values were above £16,000/ha.

The post UK forestry investment market worth £121 million during 2019 – Savills report appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Dr. Alex Cooke, Severn Trent senior catchment scientist, explained that due to such a high level of take-up from farmers, the water company is now looking into rolling out the scheme to all community members across the whole Severn Trent region.

The firm has a commitment to plant 1.3 million trees by 2030.

Shropshire tree pack event

Farmers took an average of 118 trees each, to plant on non-agricultural or marginal land, to bring a multitude of benefits including:

• Wildlife habitat creation and connection;
• Reduced pesticide runoff;
• Water quantity improvements through flood regulation, reduced runoff and soil erosion;
• Improved soil quality;
• Increased resilience to tree disease and climate change.

“The Government’s incoming Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) is set to reward farmers for providing environmental benefits, such as those tree planting can bring, and we want to help those in our catchments meet the criteria,” said Dr. Cooke.

However, feedback surveys from the events showed that the majority of farmers in attendance didn’t fully understand the term ‘public goods’, which are a key foundation of ELMS.

The surveys highlighted that 40% of participants only associating the term with improved biodiversity, rather than other benefits such as soil and water quality.

“Therefore, our future tree-pack events, starting this autumn, will provide a knowledge-sharing opportunity to help give farmers the tools and information they need to fully embrace future changes,” she said.

The post Shropshire farmers plant 4,000 trees in anticipation of ELMS changes appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The first tree of the programme was planted by Minister, Edwin Poots of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), at CAFRE’s Loughry Campus.

This is the first of a number of events to kick-start the initiative which aims to plant 18 million trees by 2030 in a bid to help tackle climate change, improve community well-being, contribute to a sustainable economy and increase tourism.

Benefits of the programme and forestry

“Today we are investing in all our futures as around 400 pupils planted 1,000 young trees. These trees will grow, flourish and, over their lifetime, will provide a multitude of benefits,” said Poots.

“I am confident this simple but effective step will reap great rewards for our environment, health, tourism and economy.

Planting 18 million trees will be a huge challenge but a very important one in terms of helping our environment.

“Trees help cool the environment by sucking in and storing harmful carbon dioxide into their trunks, branches and leaves and release oxygen back into the atmosphere.”

As the biggest plants, he said, the trees help the soil and give life, food and shelter to birds, wildlife and insects. “Put simply, they are vital for life.”

Poots continued: “They also help our economy to thrive. The forestry sector, at present, generates about £60 million per annum from timber production activity, sustaining approximately 1,000 rural jobs.

“A further £60-80 million is generated in the local economy from forest-based recreation and tourism. The ‘Forests For Our Future’ programme aims to build on this and expand on these important benefits.”

Poots went on to say: “It is apt that the first trees planted as part of ‘Forests For Our Future’ are by school pupils – they are the future. This generation is very aware of their impact on our environment and the need to take action. After we plant the first 1,000 trees here today, there will only be 17,999,000 to go!

“There are many more things I intend to consider to mitigate carbon emissions, but tree planting is one of the most simple and low-cost options open to us and is a great step in the right direction,” he concluded.

What do others think of the programme?

Helping to plant the trees was Sarah Maguire and Caragh McCloskey from St. Mary’s Grammar, Magherafelt.

They said: “We have a collective responsibility to protect the environment; that is our duty. Today our environment is under threat because of our deeds and decisions. Our actions have results.

“I would like to thank Mr. Poots and the Department of Agriculture for inviting us here today to carry out such an important and fun activity which will benefit our local environment.”

Ian McCurley, Northern Ireland director of the Woodland Trust, which has its own ‘Big Climate Fightback’ campaign, welcomed the event.

He said: “It’s fantastic to see DAERA taking action to help tackle climate change.

Trees are very important. They are good for people and the environment. They improve air quality, store carbon, provide food and shelter for wildlife and provide outdoor recreation.

“We can all follow today’s example and take action against climate change by planting a tree,” he added.

The post 1,000 saplings planted as part of new DAERA programme appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The training event, which will be held at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) Loughry Campus, in Cookstown, will take place on Wednesday, March 18.

Agricultural inspector Kieran Lavelle will also give a detailed demonstration of different pruning techniques to give a clear understanding of when and how to prune trees of different age ranges.

Kieran Lavelle, agricultural inspector, demonstrating how to prune a tree

When an orchard has received adequate fertiliser and has the correct soil pH (between 6 and 6.5), the next step to improve the fruit size is through substantial winter pruning.

The poorest quality apples are said to be found in the shaded sections of the tree and on older, less productive timber.

Removing the lower branches and those branches which have become heavy, thick and poorly dressed with fruiting branches should be a priority for removal, according to CAFRE.

About the event

The free event is open to all those who wish to learn more about orchard management. It will be held at the Loughry College orchard, in Cookstown on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 – beginning at 10:30am.

Participants should register and book a place online. For more details, you should contact Nicola Warden on: 028-9442-6939.

Those attending the course can get to the event by passing through the main Loughry College entrance and going straight at the mini-roundabout to park in the old Lindsay Hall car park. The orchard will be signposted from there.

The post CAFRE set to host orchard management event at Loughry campus appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The grant will help the CRT achieve the long-term aims for its new community orchard at Lark Rise Farm in Barton, Cambridgeshire.

What are these long-term aims?

While also being an integral part of the charity’s education programme, the orchard will enhance local wildlife and provide a relaxing space open to the public to enjoy all-year-round.

“We’re extremely thankful to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery for their support in helping us create a wildlife-friendly orchard for the local community,” said Hayley Neal, fundraising manager at the CRT.

As well as planting 250 heritage tree varieties, we intend to put the grant towards building a tranquil atmosphere with picnic benches, bird boxes, information boards, secure fencing and hedgerows.

The orchard will also help to provide a safe, secure environment for children to engage with nature, the seasons and food origins.

“The new orchard will enhance the learning opportunities for local primary schools at Lark Rise Farm and support the teaching of plants and healthy eating and the living things in their habitats,” said Gerry Turner, education manager at the CRT.

“With a significant drop in understanding of the natural world around younger generations; our innovative yet traditional farms and orchards give children an enjoyable outdoor learning experience.”

The field, in which the community orchard now exists, was said to have had a very light-touch farming approach and was predominantly used to encourage wildlife.

Benefit wintering birds

“It’s already home to a regular pair of barn owls and with more trees, the blossom will support declining pollinators in spring and leftover fruit will benefit wintering birds, such as the Mistle thrush,” explained Dr. Vince Lea, head of wildlife monitoring at the CRT.

“Bullfinches should enjoy the flower buds in spring, and green woodpeckers will find plenty of ants in the grassland. Once the trees are big enough they may even make nest holes in the branches.”

Since Dame Judi Dench planted the first tree during National Tree Week in November last year, three ‘big dig’ events in January and February saw 200 trees planted by individuals, businesses and schools.

If you would like to sponsor one of the remaining 50 trees to be planted at ‘big dig’ events later this year, call: 01-223-262999; or email: [email protected].

The community is now open to the public.

The post Community orchard awarded £15,000 grant from Postcode Community Trust appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Michael Topping from the Woodland Trust in Northern Ireland is working with contractor Patrick McLean and a private landowner to replant trees in farming landscapes.

Woodland Trust has said that its aim is to protect and maintain tree cover in Northern Ireland. This project is just at the trialing stage at the minute, but with the ultimate goal of collaborating with more farmers in the future.

The cages will protect up to 120 native trees, such as oak and downy birch, from browsing cattle, as the lands continue to be grazed.

Fight against climate change

Eventually, these trees, once fully grown, will support a greater diversity of wildlife and provide natural shelter for cattle and sheep.

“As part of our work throughout Northern Ireland we engage with private landowners in order to replant woods in farms,” said Woodland Trust director Ian McCurley.

“We work with local contractors to plant trees and use innovative systems to enable farmers to continue to use their precious land for grazing cattle, as well as increasing tree cover which is vital in our fight against climate change,” he continued.

To find out more about the work of the Woodland Trust in Northern Ireland, visit its website.

The post Woodland Trust helps tree restoration on farmland near Kilkeel appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

“Scotland’s land managers continue to play their part in the transition to net-zero emissions by 2045,” SLE chief executive Sarah-Jane Laing said, following publication of the Committee of Climate Change (CCC) report – Land use: Policies for a Net Zero UK.

“The CCC report examines a plethora of activities across agriculture, forestry and peatland restoration and some of its recommendations strike a chord with our targets – particularly the actions we and our colleagues in the Climate Emergency Response Group (CERG) called for earlier this month.

“We have called for increased training on low carbon farming techniques and funding for increased uptake in precision farming techniques funded through a £100 million agricultural transformation fund,” Sarah-Jane continued.

“That said, we are cognisant of the report’s specific focus on climate change.

We are committed to net-zero emissions by 2045 but this needs to be a just transition that also protects Scotland’s world-class food production and does not negatively impact on biodiversity.

“We have supported increased forestry in Scotland but it should not be the case that we shoulder a disproportionate responsibility in comparison to England and Wales, who are lagging behind in tree planting.”

Sarah-Jane also stated that a reduction in red meat and dairy production would be a “huge burden” on Scottish agriculture as a whole.

Muirburn

SLE added that there was conflicting scientific evidence on the impact that any ban on rotational burning could have.

Sarah-Jane continued: “Muirburn can play a significant role in improving sphagnum moss growth.

Climate change is of paramount importance but banning rotational heather burning would have a huge impact and be detrimental to Scotland’s wildlife.

“We have seen from the new Langholm Moor report – involving Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) – the positive effect that habitat management can have on birds of prey, wader conservation and other red list species,” Sarah-Jane stated.

Sarah-Jane claimed that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) also supported Muirburn as a method of combating wildfires, like the ones seen in Scotland last spring.

“Peatland restoration and rewetting programmes in Scotland are going exceptionally well; a significant proportion of which are on grouse moors. The Muirburn Code already prevents burning on deep peat and there is no scientific evidence that currently supports an outright ban,” Sarah-Jane argued.

“Tackling climate change is the crucial challenge of our time but it needs to be done in a just and correct manner rather than at the expense of every other deliverable that Scottish land management provides,” she concluded.

The post ‘Biodiversity and food production must be considered in climate change land use discussion’ – SLE appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.