Forestry industry welcomes increase in tree planting in England - Confor

The forestry industry has welcomed an “encouraging” increase in tree planting in England - and said it can act as a springboard to more productive woodland creation to deliver crucial UK Government ambitions - addressing future timber security and tackling the impacts of climate change.

John Bruce, National Manager for England for forestry and wood trade body Confor, spoke out after new figures showed planting was up in England - from 4,550 hectares in 2023/24 to 5,770 hectares in 2024/25, an increase of more than 25%.

Planting of fast-growing conifers was up by 58%, from 430 hectares to 680 hectares for the same period.

Mr Bruce said: “We’re not just planting more woodland; we’re starting to see some improvement in the balance of what’s being planted. These are encouraging signs, but we still need to be planting far more productive conifer forests. We must do this to reduce the UK’s long-term reliance on timber imports and to support more climate-friendly construction. Economic and environmental policy in all parts of the UK requires more productive planting, but we’re still not doing enough of it.”

He said the adoption of the Timber in Construction Roadmap by the UK Government offered a springboard to more productive planting.