Forestry

Reforesting Wales should be a national goal. Plaid would develop and implement an action plan to deliver a minimum of 20 per cent tree cover in all urban areas, this plan would include strengthening regulatory oversight to protect green space whilst tree felling would require a special license and the planting of additional trees in return.

Our forest creation target involves planting a 100,000 hectares of mixed woodland per decade in Wales, resulting in a total increase of 300,000 hectares by 2050.

We would ensure better active management of new and existing woodlands to improve habitat for wildlife and plant life, and ensure we plant a diverse selection of trees to protect against new diseases and pests with a ‘right tree in right place’ approach for forest restoration.

The ’hedges and edges’ approach would play a key part in helping achieve our targets and we would work with farmers and land managers, as part of their agri-environment role, to extend hedges, shelterbelts, stream side and field edge habitats.

Our forestry ambitions would extend into Welsh seas, with kelp forests and seagrass meadows contributing to our biodiversity and carbon reduction targets.

We would make Wales a deforestation-free nation by working with the UK Government to legislate to end the importation of goods that have caused deforestation. We would also introduce deforestation-free targets in procurement policy in Wales as part of our transition to utilising locally-produced and sustainable goods.