The government is failing to support the natural regeneration of trees in England owing to an overwhelming focus on planting, campaigners have said.
Recent figures show only 5% of Forestry Commission grants for woodland creation have been spent on the natural regeneration of trees, while the remaining 95% is spent on tree planting.
Natural regeneration is a process through which trees grow and reproduce in the wild without human interference by self-seeding, growing new stems from roots and natural seed colonisation.
Guy Shrubsole, an environmental campaigner who obtained the figures under freedom of information laws, said: “Tree planting has its place, but right now the incentives are skewed far too much in favour of planting over natural regeneration. Ministers need to change these ridiculous rules if they want to stand any chance of meeting their own targets for woodland creation.”
The England woodland creation offer (EWCO) is a government scheme run by the Forestry Commission that offers grants to landowners and farmers in England as an incentive to plant and grow more trees. The scheme has supported only 501 hectares (1,238 acres) of natural regeneration since it began in May 2021, compared with 8,642 hectares of new woods created by tree planting.
Ecologists have argued that naturally regenerated woods are better for wildlife than planted woods because they contain a more diverse range of tree species and ages, and are better adapted to soil conditions and local climate.
The government introduced an option for “natural colonisation” – a term used interchangeably with natural regeneration – in the EWCO grant scheme in 2021, which provided funding for landowners and farmers to fence off areas to protect trees from grazing with livestock and allow them to self-seed.
EWCO rules restrict funding by requiring natural regeneration to land within 75 metres of an existing tree; however, studies show that woodland birds carry acorns between 1km and 6km (0.6 to 3.7 miles) from their mother oaks. Campaigners have suggested that this conflict may be a key reason for the low commission of natural regeneration grants compared with funds given out for tree planting.
“Trees are perfectly capable of self-seeding: after all, they’ve been doing so for millions of years,” said Shrubsole. “Whilst tree planting certainly has its place, we could have far richer, more natural forests if only we properly supported farmers and landowners to let trees naturally regenerate.”
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The Forestry Commission says the decision to create woodland through planting or natural regeneration lies with the land manager.
A spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We are committed to increasing woodland creation – it’s why we are investing £400m into tree planting, have announced the first new national forest in 30 years and provide woodland creation grants. Whilst we recognise the benefits natural colonisation can bring, land managers are best placed to decide what woodland creation measures are most appropriate for their site.”
