UK off track on tree planting targets

"With extreme rainfall becoming more frequent, the role that trees can play in slowing flood surges and protecting homes at risk becomes ever more important.

"The UK has very few trees compared to comparable countries, so planting could help not only reduce flood risk, but also provide habitats for British nature while sucking carbon out of the atmosphere to help with climate change. The ability of trees to do this is critical for reaching net zero emissions, to bring balance back to our climate and to stop climate change which is driving up flood risk in the first place.

"The 2025 forestry statistics lay bare the gap between ambition and action in the UK. The widening gulf between planting targets and reality is a matter of serious concern, with the UK set to miss its planting targets by an area greater than the size of the Isle of Wight by 2030. Given the time lag between when a sapling is planted and reaches maturity, a step change is required to ensure the UK remains on track for reducing flood risk, boosting British nature and helping to bring our climate back into balance."

ECIU analysis shows the UK will not hit the CCC's recommendation for 2030 planting rates, extrapolating from historic planting rates including the most recent 2025 data, and will cumulatively miss it by an area the size of the Isle of Wight. [2]