Gloucestershire Tree Strategy

Its purpose is to guide and inform tree planting, growing and new woodland creation in Gloucestershire.  We need to ensure that existing and future initiatives are delivered as complementary projects, avoiding duplication, inefficiencies, and biosecurity breaches; and that we grow “the right tree in the right place, for the right reasons” and commit to sustainable woodland management.

The Vision for Gloucestershire is for a thriving network of sustainably managed trees and woodlands covering at least 20% of the county, delivering resilience and connectivity for people, wildlife and the economy.

The Government’s Committee for Climate Change (CCC) has suggested an increase in woodland cover to 19% nationally by 2050.  As Gloucestershire already has a higher proportion of tree cover than the national average, the LNP agreed an ambitious target to increase woodland cover from 13% currently to 20% by 2030.

The Strategy has seven guiding principles:

• Establish the right tree in the right place for the right reason, through both active planting and natural regeneration as appropriate
• Nurture lifelong connections between trees and people, recognising health and wellbeing benefits
• Champion the recovery of the county’s nature and wildlife, aiming for at least 20% canopy cover by 2030
• Support Gloucestershire to become Net Carbon Zero and be resilient to the impacts of climate change
• Consider alternatives to tree planting and woodland creation when investing in carbon sequestration
• Promote the economic use of woodland to provide sustainable materials that will fund and support the ongoing positive creation and management of woodlands
• Continue to ensure that existing woodlands and important trees are promoted, protected and well-managed.

The full Strategy can be viewed and downloaded below.