Budget cuts see tree planting, backed by Scots, fall 44% – new polling, analysis

Nearly three-quarters of Scottish voters back significantly more tree planting – even if it means converting some farmland.

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By Tom Cantillon

info@eciu.net

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The creation of new woodland in Scotland fell 44% between 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 at the same time as funding for the Forestry Grant Scheme was cut by 41%, new analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has found.

Scotland had been on track to achieve 95% of its tree planting target for 2030, but this is now in jeopardy. The SNP had promised 18,000 ha of woodland creation annually by 2029, with at least 40% of new native woodland by 2045 in its manifesto.

New polling from More in Common for ECIU has found 72% of Scottish adults back significantly increasing tree planting in Scotland, even if this would require converting some farmland into woodland [2]. This could include agroecological approaches such as integrating trees into working farms, or focusing planting on less productive marginal land.

Trees can play an important role in helping rainfall soak into the ground rather than flowing overland, but they also suck carbon out of the atmosphere as they grow, helping to tackle climate change which is itself driving more flooding across Scotland. 

With extreme rainfall increasing due to climate change, trees planted now will reach maturity in time to help reduce worsening flood risk to homes and communities. The next five years is critical to planting these trees that will grow large enough to absorb significant quantities of carbon from the atmosphere to enable Scotland’s climate targets to be met. There is set to be a cumulative shortfall of approximately 41,000 hectares of missing woodland in the UK by 2030. 

Tom Cantillon, Senior Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said,

"If Scotland is to reduce the ever growing risk of flooding to villages and towns it needs to plant more trees, but the same applies if it’s to play its part in reaching net zero emissions, the only way to stop climate change and prevent extreme rainfall getting ever heavier.

“Scots clearly back this, but the next five years are absolutely critical to getting the right number of saplings in the ground so they mature in time and recent cuts to funding have taken their toll on the numbers of trees being planted. The new parliament has a clear public mandate to realise their manifesto and lock in the sustained, multi-year funding that woodland creation requires."

Andy Egan, Head of Policy at the Woodland Trust said, “Tree planting across the UK remains fragmented and off track in all four nations. Despite the creation of a ministerial UK Tree Planting Taskforce to improve coordination, the taskforce has ground to a halt and not delivered any meaningful outcomes. While the situation in Scotland is less severe, targets are still being missed. We support the urgent need for all nations to launch coordinated tree growing and woodland creation plans that turn ambition into real-world delivery.”

Trees provide over £400 million per year in flood protection benefits [4], alongside improvements to water quality, nature recovery, and public health through access to green spaces. 

Research points to policy uncertainty and the economics of land-use change as key factors behind the planting gap [5]. Woodland creation is a permanent land use change, yet the policy and funding environment has historically been subject to more frequent revision than woodland and forestry timescales demand.

Notes to editors:

  1. The analysis is available to download here
  2. Polling conducted by More in Common of 1,060 Scottish Adults (aged 16 and above) between 21st – 26th Apil 2026
  3. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/government-risks-missing-critical-window-for-tree-planting-analysis
  4. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trees-and-woodlands-provide-over-400m-each-year-in-fight-against-flooding-new-study-finds
  5. https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/ccc-mitigation-monitoring-framework-2022-2024/?chapter=7-agriculture-and-land-use#7-agriculture-and-land-use
  6. Forestry is devolved, meaning delivery depends on action across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The CCC's Balanced Pathway anticipates significant regional shifts in planting allocation from 2030 onwards.
  7. Trendline performance against government targets and CCC advice (projected to 2030):
    1. England: 90% of national target, 52% of CCC Balanced Pathway
    2. Wales: 14% of national target, 26% of CCC Balanced Pathway
    3. Scotland: 95% of national target, 104% of CCC Balanced Pathway
    4. Northern Ireland: 62% of national target, 48% of CCC Balanced Pathway
    5. UK total: 71% of aggregated targets, 72% of CCC Balanced Pathway

For more information or for interview requests:

George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, t: 020 8156 5305, m: 07894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net