§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of land in the UK is covered by woodland; what measures are in place to increase the planting of trees and woodland in the UK; and if she will make a statement on the use of sink holes to absorb carbon dioxide and reduce emissions. [26578]
§ Mr. MorleyWoodland cover in the UK stands at 11.5 per cent. We provide financial incentives to landowners to plant new woodland through the woodland grant scheme and the farm woodland premium scheme. These incentives and others, such as challenge funds, are targeted to meet our priorities and programmes for forestry.
Increasing the areas of sustainably managed forest and agriculture often has environmental benefits in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The contributions that these will make to meeting our 12.5 per cent. emissions reduction commitment under the Kyoto protocol and to our domestic goal to reduce CO, emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010, are described in "Climate Change—the UK Programme" and in the "UK's Third National Communication" under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, published in November 2000 and 2001 respectively.