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Make the most of region’s woodland, urges rural watchdog The Government must recognise the value of the Midlands' woodland to the region's economy and environment, rural campaigners have said.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) warned that: "If woodland management does not become profitable, it will die."
The rural watchdog says the Government must value the huge contribution woods and forests make to the landscape, biodiversity and water and carbon management, and understand that tree-planting and effective woodland management are legitimate ways of offsetting the carbon emissions blamed for climate change.
Ministers also have to accept that growing trees is an industry and needs to be financially viable.
CLA West Midlands Director, Caroline Bedell said: "Now is the time for forestry and woodland. The potential is enormous and largely unrealised.
"In England we currently harvest less than 40 per cent of the volume of timber that grows in the woods each year – squandering this valuable and sustainable resource.
"And less than 1 per cent of the value of timber is returned to the grower who sells it. That's the lowest in Europe and just one tenth of what foresters get in Finland."
Meanwhile, the CLA says it wholeheartedly supports a new initiative to boost the economic potential of woodland businesses in and around the National Forest.
Making Woods Work will provide business advice and aims to boost landscape-based tourism, energy, craft, construction, recreation and leisure activities in the area.
The National Forest has developed impressively over the past 15 years. Over 7.7 million trees have been planted, trebling the woodland cover in the area from 6% to 18%, twice the national average for England. The ultimate aim is to achieve one third woodland cover over the 200 square miles of the Forest area. Hundreds of new woodlands have been planted and as these woodlands grow the potential for their economic use increases. Making Woods Work has been devised to support both landowners with existing mature woodland and new woodland owners, with the training and awareness required to ultimately produce sustainable, high quality timber. |
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