Valerie attends the Woodland Trust reception

On Monday 25 April I attended the Woodland Trust reception to hear about the Woodland Trust’s vision for the Government-led 25 year environment plan.

I was interested to discover about the challenges and opportunities the woodland faces and to meet the new Chief Executive Baroness Young. The national average for woodland cover in the UK is only 13 per cent, compared to an EU average of 37 per cent. In England, just 2,400 hectares of new woodland were planted in the 2014-15 planting season- a decrease of 900 ha on the previous year.

The Woodland Trust has set out steps it believes need to be taken such as the implementation of the recommendations of the National Capital Committee and the Government acting on its commitment to secure the future of the Public Forest Estate.