Will the Minister provide an update on the Government’s targets for tree planting in hectares in Wales and what levels of tree cover it aims to achieve?
Answered by Minister for Climate Change | Answered on 03/05/2023
As part of our plan to tackle the climate emergency, the Welsh Government wants to support the creation of 43,000 hectares of woodland by 2030, and 180,000 hectares by 2050, as set out following the Trees and Timber Deep Dive. This forms part of our Net Zero Wales plan. This would take tree cover in Wales from around 15% today to 24% by 2050. We have begun work to develop a National Forest for Wales and have committed £30m funding to our new Woodland Creation Grants over the next two years.