Scotland to fail woodland planting target again after funding cut by nearly half

Commercial and conservation tree planters have united to condemn the cuts.

Heavy cuts to forestry will “torpedo” Scotland’s hopes of meeting climate targets, woodland charity and commercial groups have warned.

The timber industry and conservationists have condemned the scale of the cuts, which they said would see job losses in struggling rural areas, destruction of millions of young trees and a blow to sector confidence that will take a long time to recover.

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Funding for woodland creation in Scotland has been slashed by 41 per cent (pic: David Cheskin)

Last month’s Budget announcement by finance secretary Shona Robison revealed the Scottish Forestry grant budget is being slashed by 41 per cent – more than £32 million.

Confor, an organisation representing more than 1,500 members from the forestry and wood supply chain, said the reduction in funding would “torpedo Scotland’s chances of meeting climate and nature targets.”

The group’s chief executive Stuart Goodall said: “The Scottish Government has increased its woodland creation targets annually as a key element of Scotland's commitment to be net zero by 2045, and we applaud that ambition.

"The amount of new woodland created has fallen over each of the last five years, however. This proposed cut will only serve to make the gap between targets and delivery ever wider. A bad situation will become worse.”

Alastair Seaman, director of Woodland Trust Scotland said: “The Scottish Government must remember that warm words won’t stop climate change or restore nature. We need investment in new woodland – and fast – if we are to have any hope of a strong economy and a healthy landscape in the years to come.

“Creating new woodland and protecting what we’ve already got is one of the simplest and most effective responses we have to the climate and nature crises. It makes no sense to pull the rug out from under the sector in this way.”

Rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon said the financial outlook would mean Scotland would not make its planting target this year, which was understood to be more than 14,000 hectares of new woodland. Instead, the money will support around some 9,000 hectares.

In the past six years, apart from 2018/19, the country has failed to reach its tree planting targets.

Ms Gougeon said the UK budget with its “worst-case Autumn Statement” had forced ministers to make the cuts to forestry, which is a devolved area.

But a UK Government spokesperson said: “The UK Government is providing a record £41 billion per year settlement – the largest since devolution – that has been further topped up at Autumn Statement. The Scottish Government is ultimately accountable to Holyrood and the people of Scotland for their decisions on this matter.”

Jon Lambert, from GOLDCREST Land & Forestry Group, said the considerable cut to the woodland grant budget was a “huge disappointment, a great shame and will have a substantial negative impact on tree planting and our ability to meet climate change mitigation targets”.

Ms Gougeon said despite failing to reach this year’s target, the reduced number would “still allow Scotland to create more woodland than the rest of the UK combined, and that benefits everyone in the UK, not just in Scotland”.