HL Deb 29 January 1981 vol 416 c904WA
Lord Raglan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will make it their policy to plant suitable trees on every barren acre of motorway interchange and verge, for the purposes of ornament, timber, and protection from wind.

The Earl of Avon

It is our policy to carry out extensive tree planting insofar as this is consistent with the natural landscape pattern through which the motorway is passing, and provided that it does not restrict the visibility for drivers, particularly at interchanges. The relatively small areas of land available, poor soil conditions and difficulties of access to the sites, makes timber farming an uneconomic proposition. On those lengths of motorway where some wind protection may be desirable, it is seldom possible to plant wind breaks within the limits of the land acquired for the motorway without the danger of causing drifts in snowy conditions.