Agenda item

The Committee considered the draft Tree and Woodland Strategy for Carmarthenshire County Council 2023-2028.  The Strategy was presented by the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability. 

The strategy addressed the Authority’s responsibilities for managing trees and woodlands as well as opportunities for new planting.

The Committee noted that the strategy was consistent with the Tree and Woodland Strategy Tool Kit for Local Authorities.  Included as an appendix to the report was the Authority’s Ash Dieback Strategy.

A number of comments/queries were raised.  The main matters were as follows:-

• It was noted that the Authority was proposing the planting of 33ha of woodland per annuum and a minimum of 10% on tenanted Authority farms.  The viability of achieving this 10% target was questioned.  The Rural Conservation Manager advised that the 10% figure by 2030 was consistent with the Welsh Government's voluntary new sustainable farming scheme.  The 10% target was aspirational but that farmers who signed up to the new farming support scheme would have to abide by it.
• Concern was expressed about the planting of 33ha of new woodland per annum and the impact on the tenanted farms which were small in size.  The Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability, assured the Committee that the strategy would be shaped by putting the right tree in the right place for the right reason. He said feedback would be welcome as the strategy was developed further.  It was further noted that the 19% tree cover figure for council-owned land aligned with recommendations by the UK Committee on Climate Change and the Woodland Trust but was not statutory.  There would also be a focus on tree planting in urban areas.
• It was asked how success of planting would be measured, such as the impact on the environment, animal and bird count.  The Committee was advised that calculations for carbon capture would be used and that the whole spectrum of benefits would be looked at including the reduction of flooding and water runoff.  
• The Committee stressed that the implications of planting woodland needed careful consideration as once planted the land was lost to farming and to the reduction of food production.  The type of trees the Council proposed to plant would be important as ground under conifers was lifeless.  It was stated that a high percentage of new broad leaf trees and shrubs would be planted but that some Scots pines, might be part of the mix for their landscape value.  It was stressed that planting would be done sensitively on a site,-by-site basis.
• It was stated that broad leaf trees took tens of years to lock up carbon, and that there was a pressing climate crisis.  The Rural Conservation Manager suggested that broad leaf trees may lock up more carbon eventually than conifers, which grew faster and that a cautious approach was required.
• In response to a statement that well-managed grassland sequestered more carbon than trees, the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability advised he would welcome a discussion to consider the evidence to back the grassland assertion.
• An update was requested regarding the measures the Authority was taking regarding ash die back on private land.  The Committee was advised the Authority could undertake work on behalf of the landowner should the tree pose a threat to the highway.  The cost would be re-charged to the landowner.
• In response to a concern regarding the sale of private woodland and the potential for the felling of these trees, the Committee was advised that wholesale clearance of woodland was not permitted and that landowners would need to apply to NRW for a felling license.
• It was stated that young people were anxious about climate change and that the new tree and woodland strategy should be opened up to schools and the public more generally.   The Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability re-iterated that the strategy includes community working.  It was further stated that community engagement was a pivotal part of receiving grant funding.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Tree and Woodland Strategy for Carmarthenshire County Council 2023-2028 be received.