Confor is asking people to respond to a consultation by Welsh Government on proposals for rural support after Brexit. Wales has a target to create 4000 hectares of new woodland a year. But rural policies which disadvantage trees mean that substantially less than 1000 hectares have been planted in any year since 1989.
Here at Woodknowledge Wales we are busy preparing our response. Confor have put together an excellent summary of how respond to the consultation on their website, read more here.
There are two ways you can get involved.
- Attend a workshop
- Reply to the consultation directly
1. Attend a workshop
Book your attendance by emailing farmingconnect@menterabusnes.co.uk
| Date | Venue |
| 17/09/2018 | Ysgol Uwchradd Llanfyllin, Llanfyllin, Powys, SY22 5BJ |
| 25/09/2018 | University of Wales Trinity St David, Lampeter Campus, College Street, Ceredigion, SA48 7ED |
| 26/09/2018 | King Henry VIII Comprehensive School, Old Hereford Road, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 6EP |
| 27/09/2018 | RWAS, Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, Powys, LD2 3SY |
| 04/10/2018 | Withybush Showground, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA62 4BW |
| 08/10/2018 | Liberty Stadium, Plasmarl, Swansea, SA1 2FA |
| 09/10/2018 | Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Ffordd y Wyddgrug , Rhuthun, Sir Ddinbych, LL15 1EG |
| 10/10/2018 | Ysgol David Hughes, Ffordd Pentraeth, Porthaethwy, Ynys Môn, LL59 5SS |
| 11/10/2018 – Woodland / forestry themed | RWAS, Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, Powys, LD2 3SY |
2. Reply to the consultation directly
Key points are:
- It is vital that you respond to the consultation to ensure Welsh Government hears of widespread support to grow the trees we need.
- Send an email to BrexitanTir.BrexitandOurLand@gov.wales
- The deadline is 30 October 2018
What should you say?
1. Tell your story: why will better support for productive woodlands be good for your business, for your local area, and for Wales?
2. Ask Welsh Government to implement policies to promote productive woodlands and forestry in Wales. In particular we suggest you ask that they:
- Ensure that support for productive woodlands are included in both the Economic Resilience and Public Goods schemes.
Support integrated land uses combining both timber production and livestock farming. - Ensure support for other land uses are ‘sense-checked’ to ensure they do not disadvantage landowners wishing to plant trees.
Identify woodland priority areas, where risks are low and benefits high, and where the applications process for woodland creation can be accelerated. - Provide funding for, and remove barriers to, woodland creation during the ‘transition period’, to ensure that the Welsh Government reaches its target of creating over 2000 hectares new woodland a year by 2020.
If you have any questions, please contact Eleanor Harris, eleanor@confor.org.uk 0131 240 1410.