Equivalent of 9.5 rugby pitches to become woodland every year for next 25 years

Richard Youle Local Democracy Reporter

More and more trees will appear on Welsh council-owned land after a new woodland strategy was agreed.

The plan is to plant an average of nine-and-a-half hectares of woodland per year over the next 25 years to increase the proportion of tree cover on council-owned and managed land from 12% to 17%. It’s roughly the equivalent of nine-and-a-half rugby pitches per year.

A cabinet report said the 17% target figure was derived from a recommendation by advisory body the UK Committee on Climate Change, which said UK woodland cover needed to increase to at least 17% for a 2050 “net zero” carbon target to be met.

Nature emergency

Carmarthenshire’s Plaid Cymru-Independent administration had previously proposed planting an average of 33 hectares of trees per year, including a minimum of 10% tree cover on council-tenanted farms. The authority said the reduction to nine-and-a-half hectares reflected advice it had received not to include land located “under the tide mark”.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting earlier this month, Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen said the tree and woodland strategy was “a vital step as we address the climate and nature emergency”, which also showed a commitment to the 2016 Environment (Wales) Act. “Trees improve air quality, reduce flooding and improve biodiversity,” he said.

Cllr Vaughan Owen, who has the climate change portfolio, said the council would liaise with communities about proposed new woodland schemes and try to ensure they met the needs of people and nature.

In a forward to the strategy document, Ainsley Williams, director of place and infrastructure, wrote: “Delivery of this strategy will undoubtedly mean that we will have to make changes in how we manage council land. The planting of trees and establishment of new woodlands will raise challenges, which we must embrace. In the long term thought must be given to how we fund and maintain our trees and woodlands.”

It’s expected that the tree-planting target will be modest in the first few years while the council refines working practices and liaises with the public, and the strategy will be reviewed in 2028.

The general approach will be to plant a variety of native species to create a diverse woodland habitat which will be less prone to disease. The planting of non-native trees could be appropriate in urban landscapes and in areas with historic landscapes.

Sensitivity

Some areas such as peatlands, species-rich grasslands and wetlands won’t be suitable for planting as trees could displace the existing biodiversity and do more harm than good.

Two years ago the council planted 900 native trees and shrubs with local people in Sandy Water Park, Llanelli. Hundreds more trees have been planted at Parc Dewi Sant, Carmarthen, and at St Clears.

The strategy, which has been recommended for approval by a council scrutiny committee, said woodland cover across the UK is around 13% – one of the lowest proportions in Europe. In Scotland the figure is 19%, for Wales it’s 15%, England 10% and Northern Ireland 9% . In Carmarthenshire it’s estimated at 17.6%.

Cllr Hazel Evans, cabinet member for regeneration, leisure, culture and tourism, said councillors would be consulted about potential woodland schemes in their wards. “We as a county need to do our part in relation to the environment,” she said.