Will the Minister outline what specific barriers are in place that restrict planting back trees on the Natural Resources Wales estate?
NRW aim to restock felled areas of woodland in the majority of cases, the only exceptions being:
· where there is a clear policy requirement to adopt an alternative approach, such as deforestation and restoration to an open habitat. Examples of this are compliance with SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) or SAM (Scheduled Ancient Monument) management plans, or at suitable sites to restore afforested deep peat sites.
· sites within 20m of external infrastructure (buildings, gardens) and classified public roads are left unplanted to reduce future liabilities.
· sites identified for renewable energy developments, although NRW aim to restrict the permanent loss of woodland to the small area of land under installations.
NRW leave most sites fallow for up to 4 years to control a weevil that otherwise eats young spruce trees and to allow harvesting residues to break down, which in turn facilitates certain types of ground preparation. Many larch sites cleared due to Phytophthora ramorum infection also require a fallow period to reduce the risk of susceptible replacement species such as oak becoming infected.