UK woodlands 'at crisis point' 

A review of the state of Britain's native woods and trees has found only 7% are in a good condition.

While woodland cover is slowly increasing, the wildlife within it is decreasing, says the Woodland Trust. If threats to woodland aren't tackled, the UK's ability to tackle climate and nature crises will be "severely damaged", the charity warns.

State of the UK's Woods and Trees 2021 found that soem 7% of the country's woodland is in good condition (Diliff via Wikimedia).

The Woodland Trust is among a number of groups calling for legally binding targets for the recovery of nature. Woodland now covers 13% of UK land, up from 12% in 1998. About half is made up of native tree species, such as oak, beech and ash, including centuries-old ancient woodlands. The remaining half comprises non-native trees such as conifers grown commercially for timber.

Despite the small increase in the amount of woodland cover over the past few decades, the trend for wildlife is one of steep decline, said the Woodland Trust. The report, State of the UK's Woods and Trees 2021, found that ancient woodlands lock up proportionally more carbon than other types of tree cover. Estimates suggest that ancient and long-established woodlands hold 36% of all woodland carbon (77 million tonnes).

Ancient woodlands continue to be lost and damaged by house building, new road and railways, the report says. It calls for a better balance to be restored by removing non-native trees and invasive plants such as rhododendrons.

The report says as well as protecting existing woodlands, we need to quadruple current tree planting efforts and increase the proportion of native tree species. Location and quality are the key to success, it argues, including connecting existing native woods and creating new ones near urban populations and in areas at high risk of flooding.