§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase plantation of trees to boost the supply of wood available as fuel in the UK; and if she will make a statement. [101291]
§ Mr. MorleyForestry is a devolved matter, and the policies for tree planting in Scotland and Wales are therefore the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government respectively.
We are committed to increasing the use of renewable energy. This includes the use of woodfuel from both traditional woodland and short rotation coppice. There is already considerable scope for increased sustainable harvesting for woodfuel in existing woodland in England, and we also expect the area of woodland to continue to increase at its current rate of around 5,000 hectares per year. Support for woodland creation is provided by the Woodland Grant Scheme and Farm Woodland Premium Scheme, while the Energy Crops Scheme offers financial incentives for the establishment of short rotation coppice as woodfuel. A review of the support for woodland creation has been carried out, and the results will be published in the spring.