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Twenty million trees will be planted and 2,500 hectares of new woodland created in the west of England as part of a “national forest” drive, the government has announced. The Western Forest will be made up of new and existing woodlands across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, the Cotswolds and the Mendips, as well as in urban areas such as Bristol, Swindon and Gloucester. It will be the first of three new national forests promised by the government to help meet a legally-binding target of achieving 16.5% woodland cover in England by 2050. However, with only 10% cover achieved so far, environmental groups have warned much more needs to be done to meet tree-planting targets.
The scheme will particularly target urban areas, including Bristol, Swindon and Gloucester. The government said it would be putting £7.5m of public money into the forest over the next five years. It said the project would not only help the UK’s drive to net zero but would also promote economic growth and create jobs in the region. Mary Creagh, minister for nature, said she hoped the Western Forest would also “make a huge difference” to water quality, flood resilience and to wildlife as well as bringing nature “closer to people” in the region. But she conceded there was much more to do in order to hit England’s national tree-planting target.
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