More trees were blown down than planted last year in England trends now
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More trees were blown down by storms last year than were planted in England.
Devastation wreaked by Storm Arwen brought down 8,164 acres of woodland in England, a Forestry Commission assessment has found.
But it played down the impact of storms, calling it ‘relatively modest’, and said it expected damaged woodlands to be replanted or to reseed naturally.
The storm, which hit the UK on November 26 and 27 last year, accounted for the majority of the 8,278 acres of trees felled in total across England.
Storm Arwen brought down 8,164 acres of woodland in England when it swept across the country in November last year. Pictured: A fallen tree in New York in North Tyneside caused by Arwen
But the area of trees created in 2021/22 in England was 5,585 acres, meaning more by area were lost than gained.
England is dramatically behind the Government’s target to plant 18,533 acres a year by 2024/25.
Experts say the UK needs to increase its tree cover to hit ‘net zero’ by 2050. Trees suck up carbon dioxide that pushes up temperatures.
