Government Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement

Defra's response to the Independent Panel on Forestry's report has been released and it makes interesting reading.

The Panel’s report has essentially led to a refreshed Government forestry policy. It will be based around a set of priorities: protecting, improving and expanding public and private woodland assets. It also reflects key Government principles, such as economic growth, localism, deregulation, targeted government intervention and value for money.

Of great interest to this blog is the announcement of an 'action plan' led by the wood industry that will consider, among other things, the important future role played by the biomass and woodfuel markets in the management of our woodland resource.

The main headlines from the response are as follows:

• The need to develop a new woodland culture and a resilient forestry and woodland sector,
• The value of the Public Forest Estate, which will continue to benefit from public ownership, be held in trust for the nation and be managed by a new, operationally-independent body,
• The importance of protecting our woodland assets,
• The need to bring more woodland into active management and increase the extent of woodland cover in England,
• The need to help the sector to find its voice and improve its economic performance,
• The importance of preserving and maximising the social and environmental benefits provided by trees and woodlands, particularly in and around our towns and cities,
• The scope for developing new markets based around a better understanding of the value and potential of our trees, woods and forests,
• The value of retaining a skilled cadre of forestry experts within the public sector.

Exploring New Opportunities: The role of woodfuel

Defra's response recognises that local renewable heat projects have the potential to provide an economic return to owners of even small areas of woodland and can benefit many businesses involved in the wider forestry sector:

• There are currently around 600 woodfuel supply outlets across Britain selling to local markets and there is potential to do more, provided this market is not developed at the expense of other wood processing industries and does not create unfair competition for our home grown products.
• Undermanaged broadleaved woodland in particular could supply significant quantities of fuel without interrupting current supply chains. More effective management of our woodlands will also make a long-term contribution to our challenging climate change targets, through reducing reliance on fossil fuels and energy intensive materials.
• With the introduction of the Renewable Heat Incentive the scope for developing new initiatives around woodfuel is growing.

To facilitate these objectives, the industry has invited Dr Peter Bonfield, OBE, Chief Executive of the Building Research Establishment (BRE), to lead the creation of a 'roadmap' (in autumn 2013) to a new and successful future for England’s forest-based supply chains. 

This will be developed in partnership with woodland owners, managers, buyers, processors, researchers, retailers, contractors, woodfuel suppliers, community groups and Government. 

Details of the organisations currently involved are on the Confor website.

A summary of the other main points are provided in the sections below.

Improving our Valuable Woodland Assets

This section of the response probably contains the most radical changes and clearly sets the policy towards economic growth:

• Work with landowners and others to increase the amount of actively-managed woodland and review progress in five years,
• Further reduce unnecessary regulation and red tape affecting the sector,
• Support the sector as it develops its new industry-led Action Plan,
• Work with the sector to explore the scope for exploiting economic opportunities, such as woodfuel markets and rural tourism,
• Encourage, where appropriate, local government and Local Enterprise Partnerships to take advantage of the opportunities provided by Government policies to realise the potential of local woodland assets.

Specific activities around people and communities and wildlife and the natural environment will continue.

Expanding our Woodland Resource

Increase England’s woodland cover significantly to achieve greater economic, social and environmental benefits:

• Deliver 12% woodland cover by 2060:
• Work with the sector to find new ways of encouraging landowners to plant more trees where it best suits them and their local conditions,
• Develop further the voluntary woodland carbon market and other sources of investment that reflect forestry’s low carbon credentials and wider public benefits to deliver a more wooded landscape,
• Pilot an initiative to reduce burdens on landowners who want to plant woodland by clarifying where a full Environmental Statement is unlikely to be required.

Protecting our Trees, Woods and Forests

Defra will give greater priority to tree and plant health.  For example, the Living With Environmental Change (LWEC) Partnership will use £4 million of Defra funding, £0.5 million of additional Forestry Commission funding and up to £4 million additional funding from Research Councils to do in-depth research into tree diseases to inform the way outbreaks are handled in the future.

Governance and Structures

Defra plans to simplify current structures and step back from unnecessary day-to-day involvement:

• Retaining a core of forestry expertise within Government with the capacity to deliver a range of functions, duties and powers,
• Reviewing the Government’s forestry functions alongside the Triennial Review of the Environment Agency and Natural England,
• Working with the devolved nations to ensure that vital cross-border functions in areas such as research, standards and tree health can continue to be delivered centrally, where this is appropriate,
• Establishing via legislation a new, operationally-independent Public Forest Estate management body to hold the Estate in trust for the nation. It will be charged with generating a greater proportion of its income through appropriate commercial activity and with maximising the social, environmental and economic value of the assets under its care.

Realising More of our Woodlands’ Value

Defra acknowledges the social and environmental benefits of woodlands and to developing new market opportunities to realise these. Work already undertaken by the National Ecosystem Assessment, the Natural Capital Committee and the Ecosystem Markets will continue via:

• Working with the Natural Capital Committee and the Office of National Statistics to develop a set of natural capital accounts for UK forestry assets and use this to inform the development of a set of natural capital accounts for the Public Forest Estate,
• Developing a woodland ecosystem market roadmap to bring together actions by Government and our partners over the next 5 years to (a) build knowledge (b) develop wider networks of collaboration and expertise and (c) implement mechanisms and projects to demonstrate good practice,
• Working with others to support the further development of markets in forest carbon and other ecosystem services such as water and biodiversity.

Need an apprentice?

Did you know that there are several apprenticeship schemes operating in Kent at the moment?  Neither did we!  Following a chance conversation with someone from Shepway District Council, where an apprenticeship scheme has been launched, we thought we would provide a basic briefing about apprenticeships and provide links for further reading.

Time to investigate?

We all know what woodland management/forestry/arboriculture is a tough job and finding new entrants into the sector can be hard.  However, we do know that there are many people aged 16-24 who are interested in the environment, keen to work outdoors and who are not cut out for the academic life at university.

At the national level the recent report by the Independent Panel in Forestry calls for a "...revival of a woodland culture that appreciates how important trees are for people, for nature and the economy".  It also calls for an increase of woodland cover in England from 10% to 15% by 2060.

At the local level the markets for woodfuel of all types are starting to expand, not least due to the resurgence in the use of firewood and incentives such as the RHI.  In addition the Forestry Commission is working hard to identify non-managed woodland and is seeking new and innovative ways to motivate owners to manage them.

Given that there is now so much financial support for apprenticeships now is a also good time to investigate if you are considering expanding your business.

Please note that we have borrowed heavily from the National Apprenticeship Service for this article.  Their website is very useful and provides a lot more detail than is covered here.

What are apprenticeships?

They are work-based training programmes designed around the needs of employers, which lead to national recognised qualifications. You can use Apprenticeships to train both new and existing employees. Funding is available to train apprentices (more on this later...).

As apprenticeships are work-based training programmes, most of the training is ‘on the job’. The rest can be provided by a local college or by a specialist learning provider, or you could deliver everything yourself.  As the employer you must give your apprentices an induction into their role and provide on-the-job training. You are also responsible for paying your apprentices’ wages.

Employment must be for at least 30 hours per week. In some cases the number of hours can be lower but must be more than 16 hours per week.

Why take on an apprentice?

• Over 80% of those employers who take on apprentices agree they make their workplace more productive.
• 81% of consumers favour using a company which takes on apprentices.
• The National Minimum Wage for apprentices is £2.65 per hour. Many employers prefer to pay more however, and research shows that the average salary is approximately £170 per week.
• Employers who take on a 16-18 year old apprentice only pay their salary. The Government funds their training.
• There are more than 250 different types of Apprenticeships available offering over 1,400 job roles.
• 92% of employers who employ apprentices believe that apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.
• 83% of employers who employ apprentices rely on their apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future.
• One in five employers are hiring more apprentices to help them through the tough economic climate.

Funding

Apprenticeship funding is available from the National Apprenticeship Service. The size of the contribution varies depending on your sector and the age of the candidate. If the apprentice is aged 16–18 years old, you will receive 100% of the cost of the training; if they are 19-24 years old, you will receive up to 50%; if they are 25 years old or over you may only get a contribution depending on the sector and area in which you operate.

This is paid directly to the organisation that provides and supports the apprenticeship; in most cases this will be a learning provider.

Which schemes are running?

We mentioned the Shepway scheme at the start of this article:

• Grants of up to £1,500 to Shepway businesses to encourage them to employ local people as apprentices.
• Any Shepway business can apply, although we have a focus on businesses with fewer than 10 employees. 
• Applications will be considered on a case by case basis with appropriate checks made (e.g. with Companies House) to try to ensure that the apprenticeship is not ended prematurely due to company failure.
• We offer grants of up to £1,500 per apprentice, with a maximum of three grants offered per business.
• The scheme is only open to individuals who live within Shepway, are out of full time education, over 16, and able to work in England. 
• There will be no focus on a particular age group, but we are expecting the majority of apprentices to be aged 21 and below.

For more details contact Jeremy Whittaker on 01303 853375 or Email jeremy.whittaker@shepway.gov.uk.

Kent Apprenticeships

Kent Apprenticeships is a joint partnership between Kent County Council, KATO (Kent Association of Training Organisations) and NAS (National Apprenticeship Service).  The scheme provides bespoke advice and support to help you find the right apprentice. 

For more details email info@kentapprenticeships.com or call 0800 098 8825.

National Apprenticeship Service (NAS)

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) supports, funds and co-ordinates the delivery of apprenticeships throughout England.  The NAS website provides detailed information on the benefit of apprenticeships and has a support service for employers.

For more details call  08000 150 600 or visit the website.

Kent Woodland Employment Scheme (KWES)

KWES is a new charity set up to provide training and employment for ex-Service personnel, young people and ex-offenders in Kent’s ancient woodlands.

For more details call 01622 884258 or email info@kwes.org.uk.

Sustainable forestry strong in England

Latest figures published by Forestry Commission England show our woodlands are incredibly well protected and sustainable forestry remains strong.

According to records, just 0.4 per cent of trees felled in England were done illegally without a felling licence. Conservation habitats, such as heathland, have been restored from commercial plantations whilst keeping a slowly expanding wooded area overall. A thriving timber industry has increased domestic supply as imports have fallen.

Simon Hodgson, Forestry Commission England Chief Executive said:

“For the first time we have been able to publish a suite of new statistics to show what is happening to woods and forests in England and how Forestry Commission England is performing.

“The overall picture is great news for us. Protection of our woods and forests is strong with miniscule amounts of illegal felling. The general public are very much our eyes and ears on the ground and we are always heartened at the public’s willingness to report suspected illegal activity and we are developing an online system to make this quicker, easier and more accurate.

“We see domestic timber supplies increasing while imports shrink and a growing woodfuel network all of which boosts the local green economy. Commitments to restore and recreate conservation habitats from private and public plantations are being met while we see the overall area of woodland expanding."

The Forestry Commission remains a leader as a significant land manager in the care of the Engalnd’s best wildlife conservation sites - Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) – with 99.6% in target condition.

“All that said significant challenges remain. Everyone agrees we need much greater growth in creating new woodlands and we are working to significantly increase long term investment from the private sector. We are working to mitigate the threats from a changing climate to trees in the future from new pests and diseases and poor growing conditions. Last, but most certainly not least, is the appalling record of Health and Safety in the forestry sector: skills and training are high but the number of fatalities in a small industry must be tackled."

Castle Head FSC - Tree Planting - Feb 2009

“We are already working with the sector to implement recommendations from the Forestry Regulation Task Force and look forward to receiving the Independent Forestry Panel’s final report to Government.”

27 June 2012

Forestry Commission News release 15523