Sue Holden - Woodland Trust

Question: Why is climate change an important issue to the Woodland Trust?

Sue Holden: It is important to us because we believe climate change will impact upon the natural world. This is significant because it will affect habitats, species lifecycles and it will change the interaction between species. We are concerned about the impact this will have on people and on the capability of the environment to provide the ecosystem services on which we are all dependent.

We have already seen examples of these changes to the natural world through our work with trees. Beech trees in the South East of England are suffering from summer drought, and we are monitoring oak trees, which are currently coming into leaf about three weeks early. So climate change is already having an impact across large areas of the UK.

Question: What does the Trust want to see from adaptation section of the Climate Change Bill?

Sue Holden: We were very pleased to see the Bill contain a strengthened section on adaptation, but because climate change is such a peril we believe there is a need for the section to be strengthened even further.

We think adaptation needs to be defined very carefully in the Bill. Secondly, we think that the adaptation programme has to further adaptation through a sustainable economy, good governance and sound science. 

For example, in adapting to climate change, government must ensure that planning and biofuel decisions do not impact negatively on the environment. As part of that, public bodies should be required to further sustainable development themselves.

To make all of this actually work, we also need some independent scrutiny of government and public bodies, and a very clear reporting cycle that is laid before Parliament.

Question: Why then do you believe adaptation to be such an important policy issue?

Sue Holden: A healthy environment means a healthy population, as well as a healthy economy. It is clear that the UK is going to see inevitable climate change. Even if we reduce emissions, some climate change impacts are already built in and will continue.

We remain dependent on a healthy eco-system for a whole range of environmental services such as flood alleviation, clean air and soil quality, and also, for a set of services that the natural environment provides for people, for social and recreation purposes, wellbeing, and educational opportunities.

Unfortunately, we are still suffering from a legacy of habitat removal in the UK. We believe protecting what we have left of the natural world and creating more natural habitats is a vital combination that can give wildlife a firmer footing in the face of climate change and it will benefit people by providing communities with easier access to natural spaces.

Question: How can woodland help the natural world adapt to climate change?

Sue Holden: Woodland is the most widespread semi-natural habitat in the UK and it is a very diverse habitat. A multitude of flora and fauna inhabit woodland and it has a central role to play in adaptation for wildlife benefit, and can also reduce pollution, prevent flooding and can contribute to soil stability.

Forests also act as carbon sinks and we believe preventing deforestation and creating new woods are quite important parts of carbon management, which will contribute towards mitigation.

However, despite all the benefits, we have a very poor track record of looking after woodland. We actually have a very low percentage of woodland cover of around 11 per cent across the UK, and of that only two percent is ancient woodland.

This ancient woodland is a particularly special habitat because of its longevity and the whole range of very special species that live within it.

The Woodland Trust was created in response to the dramatic loss of woodland in the sixties and early seventies. We now own over a thousand sites across the UK in order to protect them for both the benefit of wildlife and people.

Our mission is to see a doubling of woodland cover in order to create these benefits. As a start, we would really like to see the Strategy for England’s Trees, Woods and Forests give greater emphasis on woodland creation because it can offer so much.

Question: Is adaptation given enough emphasis across all government departments?

Sue Holden: There is a growing recognition that sustainable development has to be part of all government activity. However, we are concerned that not enough focus is being given to adaptation across all government departments.

It is not just the responsibility of Defra, and to repeat a phrase we have heard recently, sustainable development is not just sustaining development. The natural environment is absolutely central to our own survival. Sustaining wildlife and the habitats upon which these species are dependent is crucial to any adaptation programme.  

There are a number of examples of conflicting ambitions across government departments. One of the best is airport expansion. About 19 hectares of ancient woodland is under threat from the expansion of Stansted Airport, which will affect not only those hectares but it will also upset the ecological balance of the surrounding landscape. It seems incredible that this is happening at a time when we are trying to fight climate change.

PSA targets are a further concern as they are very light on natural environment measures and the indicators offer few guarantees that policy will protect the few natural resources that we have. I think targets have to help lead the way in setting the agenda right across government.

Question: Is there anything else the Trust would like to see from the Climate Change Bill?

Sue Holden:  As part of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition we support the three major asks which are for an eighty percent emissions reduction target, the inclusion of aviation and shipping emission in this target, and an annual milestones for emission reductions.

We are particularly pleased that the government has committed to the annual milestones as this will keep climate change in the public conscious and give the process greater transparency. 

We do hope the emissions target will be raised upwards because this would reflect the latest science and we feel very strongly that aviation and shipping have to be included in the final calculation. Without it the process may lack real credibility.

Question: Why does the Trust place such emphasis on people engagement?

Sue Holden: Protecting the natural environment and taking action to mitigate climate change requires governmental leadership. However, I think the big challenge for all of us is how to get  people to understand and support  those policies that offer the best chance of environmental sustainability.

So, at the Woodland Trust, we believe part of our role is to give people a deeper understanding and love of the natural environment through a whole range of engagement activities.

A few years ago we embarked on a campaign called ‘Tree For All’, which was to involve a million children in the planting of twelve million trees by getting people, and children in particular, to perform a very simple, tangible and quite symbolic act. We hope touching a tree, putting it in the ground and watching it grow will inspire the next generation to respect and understand nature.

So far we have planted four million trees and created about seven thousand acres of new native woodland and we have engaged well over a million people in different activities across our work. We believe this style of engagement has a significant role to play in getting people in touch with nature and getting them to understand some of the challenges the natural environment faces.

We are trying to engage politicians in the same way. The Prime Minister helped us launch our ‘Scouts for Trees’ initiative in Scotland last year by planting a tree. In April the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly invited the Trust to plant trees on the Stormont estate alongside the First and deputy First Ministers, the Environment Minister and the chair of the Environment Committee. So tree planting is a great way to engage not only the public but also politicians.  If anyone else would like to take part please contact our Government Affairs Officer, Lee Bruce, on leebruce@woodlandtrust.org.uk

The Trust has two projects called Nature’s Calendar for adults and Nature Detectives for children. These campaigns research the effects that a changing climate has on UK wildlife by monitoring the timings of common seasonal signs of nature. It has over 50 thousand volunteer recorders involved across the UK. Nature Detective’s allows children to record wildlife, investigate their local area, take part in autumn and spring watch, and take part on nature challenges in a fun and educational way. These projects are great for getting local communities involved in nature and for delivering change on the ground.

Question: What are the other areas of concern for the Trust this year?

Sue Holden:  Unsurprisingly our major advocacy work this year will be around the Climate Change and Planning Bills.  As I mentioned, we want to push for a strengthened adaptation section in the Climate Change Bill. We also want to see a planning system that guarantees protection for woodland, trees and green space.

There is a big focus on ancient trees at the moment. The UK holds a large percentage of Europe’s ancient trees and yet they are not always protected unless the tree is covered by a Tree Preservation Order. This month we hosted an ancient tree reception in Parliament to celebrate the heritage of ancient trees and to call for them to be given greater protection through the planning process.

The reform of regional government and the consultation on the sub-national economic development and regeneration review will be another key area of concern for the Woodland Trust this year. We do see this as a threat because at the moment it feels as if it is purely economic concerns driving the agenda.

The development of eco-towns affords an opportunity to get green infrastructure on the radar and embedded within new developments. However it could present a threat to existing habitat and green space, and there is a need for a very sophisticated balance between what the new towns are trying to achieve in regard to carbon reduction and protection of the natural world.  Government needs to make sure the developments add to existing valuable green space and create new habitats for the benefit of both people and wildlife.

Finally, the Common Agricultural Policy ‘health-check’ is an important opportunity for reform and we have signed up to the Wildlife and Countryside link vision outlined in Beyond the Pillars.  This document calls for a radical overhaul of the CAP to ensure the public money being spent is delivering public benefit, something that is not always clear when it comes to encouraging sustainable land-use.

The coming year is very important to see whether the Government is genuine in its ambitions to help people and wildlife adapt to climate change.  We will continue to engage our politicians and the general public to promote the importance of valuing and enhancing our environmental assets.