Curlew Action Recovery Plan

During Wales Climate Week, Climate Change MinisterJulie James MS announced that she was launching a Wales Action Plan for the Recovery of Curlew.

The action plan proposes some significant and wide-ranging policies on land use and area protections including creating 10 Important Curlew Areas (ICA’s). Few of these areas are of interest for larger scale woodland creation however, they include all of Montgomeryshire and, overall, about 10% of the potentially plantable land in Wales.

The key phrase relating to forestry is: “Review land management sensitivity maps in Wales and adopt the principle that future sites for forest expansion and renewable energy should avoid areas that hold >5 pairs. “

The group responsible for the plan Curlew Wales have unfortunately failed to seek engagement with Confor, the ICF or the RFS whilst gaining support from the NFU for what they describe as sustainable land management or high nature value farming.

Confor has written to both the Curlew Wales group and the Climate Change Minister for clarity on stakeholder consultation and how they propose afforestation can be delivered in Wales with any of the productive elements that are so strongly desirable for Wales Zero Carbon homes, Decarbonisation and other environmental benefits.

In a response from the Welsh Government, civil servants state: “The plan doesn’t introduce any new restrictions on where new trees can be planted but highlights specific actions that will benefit a whole range of habitats and species including Curlew. It does raise the risk of new tree planting in relation to potential loss of habitats suitable for Curlew and the associated risks with increased predation through inappropriate tree planting however these are factors which should already be considered in any new tree planting on or near to Curlew breeding sites.”

National manager Anthony Geddes has responded by highlighting the Action Plans statements on ICA’s say they are areas where forest expansion should be avoided, and that they are proposed to cover very significant areas of Wales (>10%) that are also key in terms of the production of timber for decarbonisation. The public message that comes out of the plan is don’t plant trees here.

Whilst there may be unpublished details that nuance this, there has been no engagement with foresters, forestry or the potential opportunities for developing other more impactful programs such as managing predators within the UKFS and UKWAS. Curlew Wales are yet to respond to all requests to engage with us. This is a lost opportunity and one that isn’t making planting any easier in the face of huge targets. Contact anthony@confor.org.uk

Senedd Red Squirrel Debate

Following a successful petition launched by Dr Craig Shuttleworth of Bangor University, the Senedd held a debate in early December to discuss the introduction of new laws to amend the Forestry Act 1967.

The debate sought that habitat loss be included in the consideration of felling licences, and that state-owned forests, which don’t require a licence, should have to annually assess the cumulative impact of felling on the red squirrel population. This is a change that has already been seen in Scottish legislation.

The proposal to amend the Forestry Act has been on the Welsh Government agenda since the introduction of the draft Agricultural White Paper in 2020. As a result, it is unsurprising that the briefing documentation and recommendations that Red Squirrel protection and illegal felling control could be dealt with by other means has been broadly ignored.

Confor, the ICF and other land-based organisations have already been invited to engage with the consultation for these amendments to the Forestry Act and that process will start early in the New Year. We made strong representations within the consultation for the draft agricultural white paper in 2020 and will seek to build on these to ensure that any changes are proportionate and reasonable for the outcomes being sought by Welsh Government and other NGOs.

Whilst Confor supports the evolution and development of appropriate legislation to support positive environmental, ecological and habitat outcomes through good forestry management practices. We have highlighted to the Climate Change Minister the need for a licencing system that supports land managers to improve their management interventions and programming, especially in a volatile timber market.

Of greater concern is the level of misunderstanding and detachment that the role of professional forestry management plays in improving biodiversity and habitat creation throughout Wales. With the appointment of Maria Bellissimo as Confor’s new Policy Officer, we will be working with members to engage local MSs and MPs throughout 2022. The aim is to help them understand the importance of the forest industry, and why, if we are to succeed in meeting housing, decarbonisation, ecological & habitat demands as well as timber requirements we need support across the Senedd.