Talking trees and the country we want to be in Westminster Hall

There has been a steady but encouraging upsurge of interest in trees this Parliament. This was illustrated at the last Defra questions in the House and the Chancellor notably mentioned forests during his Autumn Statement. It is rare however that they actually take the spotlight in Parliament in their own right.

Yesterday, thanks to the efforts of Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, and John Mc Nally, MP for Falkirk, that changed and a three hour Westminster Hall debate on ancient woodland took place.

This opened up with Rebecca, Chair of the new Ancient Woodland and Veteran Trees APPG, giving MPs an evocative description of a walk through ancient woodland before setting out the challenges it faces in 2015. 

At present, the wording of the National Planning Policy Framework allows for the loss of ancient woodland and aged or veteran trees if ‘the need for, and benefits of, the development in that location clearly outweigh the loss.’ As a result of this loophole, hundreds of ancient woods and trees are being lost and threatened in the planning system every year. Moreover, there is, at present, no Government recording of these losses.

Changing the wording of the NPPF so loss becomes ‘wholly exceptional’ (backed by the CLG select committee in the last Parliament) and establishing a central database recording loss are two of the key actions the Woodland Trust is calling for.

Rebecca was followed by John Mc Nally who described Callendar Wood in his own constituency and childhood memories of woodland, concluding that ‘there is a genuine increase in threats to ancient woodland and the UK Government are simply not doing enough about it’.

Two of the most striking features of the debate were the sheer quality of the speeches and the extent of the cross-party consensus on the need for action. A particular stand-out speech was delivered by Kit Malthouse MP who concluded that ‘to accept ancient woodland loss would be to accept a Britain where we have broken cleanly with our past and our heritage’.

Alex Cunningham MP, for Labour, called for immediate action to rectify the information gap on recording loss and for the Government to think again on the recommendations of the CLG select committee.

George Eustice MP, responding for the Government, said its view was that the NPPF was working but that he would relay the concerns raised and offered to look at the issue of how to record loss.

Thanks to the work of bodies like the Natural Capital Committee we increasingly understand the importance of trees to tackling some of the great policy challenges of our age. Ensuring we protect the jewels in the crown of our natural heritage like ancient woods and trees should be the building blocks of the 25 year plan for the environment, which the Government has just embarked on developing.

As Rebecca Pow concluded: ‘If we want not only our children but our children’s children to experience some of the wonderful things that we have talked about , we have to save the 2% of ancient woodland that is left’.