Woodland for all

---

Sian Atkinson, conservation team leader at the Woodland Trust, speaks to ePolitix.com about the Trust’s report, Space for People, which sets out its vision for woodland access across the UK.

You can also listen to a podcast of this interview with Sian Atkinson.

Please view a copy of the Space for People report

Given all the challenges government is facing, why should improving woodland access be a priority?

Research shows that access to woodland and other natural green spaces can improve people's health and wellbeing, and often aids social cohesion. The Woodland Trust believes that everyone should have access to woodland within easy reach of their homes as this would make a substantial difference to their quality of life.

It's estimated that lack of physical activity costs the economy in England around £8.2billion a year.(i) Evidence shows that the positive benefits of exercise are enhanced when it is carried out in the natural environment, and that people are more likely to carry on exercising long-term if they have access to attractive green spaces near where they live.(ii)

Mental ill health affects one in six people and costs the NHS £12.5bn and the economy £23.1billion a year. (iii) Exposure to nature helps people recover from daily stresses, and woodland can offer a tranquil place to unwind. For children, contact with nature helps concentration and self-discipline, and woodland provides a great resource for unstructured play which is essential for development.

Woodland is a valuable green space because of its special qualities. Woods and trees can screen out noise. Because of the structure of woods, even when there are lots of visitors in a wood it rarely feels overcrowded. They often hold special meaning for people, and offer more opportunities for imaginative play than more open green spaces. By delivering on so many agendas at once, woods and trees offer great value for money at a time of enormous pressure on the public finances.

What does Space for People tell us about woodland access?

Space for People is the Woodland Trust's analysis of the amount of access people have to woodland. It is based on map data on accessible woodland that the Trust collects annually from landowners and the Forestry Commission. We first analysed this data five years ago, and now we have produced an update.

Our new analysis suggests that while the percentage of people with access to woodland appears to have increased over the last five years, there is still a substantial deficit. Only 15.6 per cent of people in the UK have access to a wood of at least 2 ha in area within 500m, or easy walking distance, of their homes, while 64.8 per cent of people in the UK have access to a wood of at least 20 ha within 4km of their homes.

Figures are available by country, region and local authority area so MPs and local councillors can look to see how their area is doing against our standard, and compare themselves to other areas of the country. You can read these figures on the Trust's website.

The Trust believes there is a need for action on two fronts. We would like to see more woods that are currently inaccessible opened to the public, and we would like to see substantial creation of new woodland to help close the gap.

Creating new woods to improve public access will contribute to the Trust's wider aspiration to see a doubling of native woodland cover for the many benefits this would provide. As well as helping improve health and wellbeing, woods and trees close to where people live can make a substantial contribution to 'ecosystem services'. They can help improve air and water quality, reduce the impacts of flooding, provide a cooling effect in urban areas, and of course provide important habitats for wildlife.

Do you think the Coalition's programme for government is a step in the right direction?

The Trust's vision is of a UK rich in native woods and trees enjoyed and valued by everyone. We were therefore delighted to see the Coalition government announce its commitment to a national tree planting campaign, an approach we have long campaigned for.

Sadly, for all the images of a green and pleasant land, the UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe, and planting rates with broadleaved species have halved in England in the last six years. The Trust wants to see the national tree planting campaign spearhead a wider drive to reverse this decline.

There are other ways that access to woodland can be improved. Planning guidance should make provision for the creation of new native woods within walking distance of residential areas, as this will begin to improve woodland access. All levels of government should give heightened emphasis to new native woodland creation within spatial planning and green infrastructure strategies.

Access can also be improved by positive action to encourage private landowners to open up their woods to public access. We also believe there is a need for adequate investment in the monitoring and upkeep of rights of way and core paths, to enable woods which are accessible by virtue of these to be included in the Woods for People dataset.

At the last election we called for the public, private and voluntary sectors to work together effectively to ensure the UK reaps the benefits of developing a landscape rich in native woods and trees. We all need to work together to ensure that new woods and trees are created, both for people to enjoy and for their wider ecosystem benefits. The value for money offered by securing these benefits is even more important at a time of such pressure on the public finances.

As an example, the Trust makes it easier for landowners to plant trees through its MOREwoods scheme which last year enabled the creation of 210 hectares of new native woodland across 160 sites. We're also working in partnership with others – for example, to create a new NHS forest that will plant a tree for every NHS employee – and we're providing advice and encouragement to a whole range of landowners on woodland creation.

The Woodland Trust has a strong track record of creating fabulous new woods that people can visit and enjoy. Our own woods are a source of immense pride to us, and we know how much they are valued by the communities who use them. Now we're calling on others to help us to really scale up these benefits, so that everyone in the UK has the chance to experience, and be inspired by, the beauty of woodland.

For further information on the Trust's public affairs work, please e-mail: governmentrelations@woodlandtrust.org.uk Should you wish to plant your own woodland, or know of someone else who is keen to do so, you can contact the Trust for woodland creation advice on 08452 935 689.

This interview originally appeared on ePolitix.com on the 6th July 2010

References

i   Bird W (2004) Natural Fit: Can green space and biodiversity increase levels of physical activity? RSPB.
ii  Tabbush P and O’Brien L (2003) Health and well-being: trees, woodlands and natural spaces. Forestry Commission, Edinburgh.
iii Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (2003) The economic and social costs of mental illness. Policy paper 3. http://www.scmh.org.uk/pdfs/costs_of_mental_illness_policy_paper_3.pdf