U.K. Government Plans to Create New National Forest

The U.K. government has backed plans to create a new national forest in England in an effort to improve the natural environment over a 25-year period. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will publish the details of the plan by the end of 2016 or by early 2017 at the latest.

Millions of trees—including oak, beech, ash, birch and lime—will be planted in a large area of forest in England. Ministers hope that the project will see a significant increase in the number of trees planted throughout the country.

In 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to plant 11 million trees in his manifesto by 2020; however, recent figures are low. The U.K. planted the fewest number of trees in over four decades in 2015 and the country is one of the least wooded in Europe. Official statistics from Forestry Commission England reveal that between April 2015 and March 2016, only 546 hectares of woodland were planted.

“Today’s higher and growing population density in urban areas means that the provision of good quality, accessible and safe urban green space is critical. As over 80 percent of England’s population now lives in urban areas, accessible nearby urban green infrastructure is vital to our nation’s well-being.”

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