Nature targets will be missed without growing more trees

THE Government will miss its climate and biodiversity targets without greater support for tree growing in the UK, experts have warned.

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Progress towards cutting the UK’s planet-warming emissions and protecting nature will likely be hampered by several barriers facing the tree production sector, according to a report by the Woodland Trust, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), the National Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

The Government's climate strategy requires 40,000 hectares of trees to be planted annually by 2030, with the UK planting more than 20,000 hectares in the 2023/24 financial year - the highest rate in 35 years.

But the paper, released on Monday, said the lack of a designated action plan and a shortage of skilled workers could prevent the country from hitting the rate of 40,000 by the end of the decade.