What discussions has the Minister had to ensure that large scale tree planning - as per the voluntary carbon market - does not occur at the detriment of family farms, food production and rural communities?
Wales needs a step change increase in woodland creation to tackle the climate emergency. Farmers have a crucial role to play in planting more trees in Wales, which also offers opportunities to create new sources of income and green jobs in rural Wales. Meeting our woodland creation targets will not be possible without attracting private sector funding, but we want to do this in a way that safeguards the viability of our agricultural businesses.
Welsh Government recognises the risks that investment could potentially lead to undesirable, large-scale changes in land ownership. We have established an expert working group to consider models to attract investment in woodland creation without disrupting existing communities and patterns of landownership. This group will provide advice to Ministers by the end of 2021.