Woodland project to cut 2050 carbon emissions by 15%

The UK is considered as one of Europe’s least forested country. Even though the country’s woodland cover has improved since WWI, growth has lessened in the recent years. The growing maturity of the country’s woodlands means that carbon sequestration is falling fast. Therefore, a research commissioned by the Forestry Commission is proposing that one million hectares of land must be used as woodland to reduce the country’s 2050 emissions by 15 per cent.

In early 1920s, the UK’s woodland fell to just 6 per cent of the country’s total land area due to industrialization, urbanization and farming. Currently, 12 per cent of the UK is forested, however experts say that the recovery is very slow.

According to the study, countries like Finland, Sweden and Spain dominate when it comes to the highest percentage of woodlands. Meanwhile, the UK ranks at the bottom, with new reforestation projects only reach 10,000 hectares annually where many of them concentrated in Scotland.

Statistics showed that the UK’s woodlands captured about 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2005, while the figure is projected to fall to 10 million tonnes this year. Moreover, the level is estimated to be less than one per cent of the country’s total emissions by 2020.

To combat climate change, the study suggests that one million hectares, about 4 per cent of the UK’s total land area, should be dedicated to forest cover by 2050. According to the report, the initiative would help cut emissions by about 15 million tonnes per year.