SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH REPORT ON PUBLIC FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR TREE PLANTING AND FORESTRY

Dave Windle

The Preface to the Report states that

• Scotland leads the UK in tree planting and woodland creation is due to increase to 18,000 hectares annually by 2024/25
• 60% of new forests will produce wood for house building, fencing and bio-fuel
• Scotland's trees sequester the equivalent of 14% of its annual greenhouse gas emissions

Many mechanisms incentivise and support tree planting. However, the extent to which these and associated activity translate into tangible environmental, economic and community benefits is not always clear. This report seeks to evaluate the impact of public financial support for Scotland´s woodlands and commercial forestry, placing it in the context of wider considerations such as the climate-nature crisis and rural regeneration. The full report is available and the recommendations are set out below:

1. Scottish Government should discontinue subsidies for coniferous commercial tree planting.
2. In discontinuing these subsidies, Scottish Government should redirect the money that is saved towards tree planting that is designed to provide long term carbon sequestration, biodiversity and public benefits.
3. The UK Government should calculate and report on the total cost of tax reliefs for woodlands, stating the purpose of the reliefs and evaluating them in respect of their cost effectiveness in meeting those objectives.
4. Scottish Government should require and empower the Enterprise Agencies to use their resources - both skills and financial - to assist the Scottish timber industry in adding value to raw timber by supporting firms to develop and expand mass timber products.

5. Scottish Forestry should ensure that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) pay careful attention to soil composition by ensuring that sampling is done on a sufficient scale across the whole site.
6. In order to implement the UK Forestry Standard statement on techniques "that create the minimum amount of soil disturbance" (e.g. screefing or exposing the soil mineral layer), Scottish Forestry should prohibit planting with mechanical disturbance on carbon-rich soils.
7. As outlined by the UKFS, Scottish Forestry should require mixed native broadleaf planting, shrub cover and open land to be interspersed throughout commercial monoculture planting.
8. Scottish Forestry should encourage and support natural regeneration for proposed establishment of mixed native woodland and include this in its grant support criteria within the Woodland Creation category.
9. Scottish Forestry should require that planting schemes include native planting and regeneration along watercourses.
10. Scottish Forestry should require schemes to consider how the spread of invasive tree seed to adjoining land (especially peatland) will be prevented. It should also require appropriate steps to be taken to reduce such spread and, where necessary, impose conditions to remove seedlings when it does occur.
11. Scottish Forestry should require that all planting proposals of 40 ha and above, or smaller applications adjoining existing woodland, submit an EIA.
12. Scottish Government should increase capacity in Scottish Forestry for independent scrutiny of planting applications, including an increased number of EIAs, and carry out compliance monitoring during and after planting to confirm adherence to the UKFS and specific conditions.
13. Scottish Forestry should consider providing guidance on the form and content of EIA submissions.
14. Scottish Forestry should provide targeted grants to Local Authorities to plant trees in existing urban locations.
15. Local Authorities should require all new built developments with road frontages to incorporate trees in the road or on their frontages.
16. Scottish Forestry should mandate adherence to the community engagement guidelines produced by the Scottish Land Commission for all proposed planting schemes.

Key Takeaways

• The current system of forestry grants and tax reliefs needs to be overhauled.
• Much more care needs to be taken with forestry on carbon-rich soils
• More native broadleaved trees, shrub and open spaces need to be incorporated in commercial monoculture planting.


Kinrara new planting... © N Kempe

• There is growing scientific consensus that natural regeneration produces better forests, with better carbon sequestration, than planting.
• There needs to be better compliance monitoring to reduce the amount of public money going into failed commercial schemes such as Brew Dog's Lost Forest at Kinrara.

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