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<p>Trees, woods and forests are a devolved matter and the information provided therefore
relates to England only. Neither Defra nor the Forestry Commission records tree planting
data except for trees planted in England with central government support.</p><p> </p><p>The
latest figures from the Forestry Commission’s Corporate Plan Performance Indicators,
published on 13 June, show that from April 2018 to March 2019 at least 2.06 million
trees have been planted with central government support, equivalent to approximately
1,273 hectares of woodland creation.</p><p> </p><p>The Forestry Commissioners are
responsible for the control of tree felling under the provisions in Part II of the
Forestry Act 1967 (as amended). However, there are a number of exemptions from the
requirements for a Felling Licence, including trees growing in private gardens, trees
felled directly as a result of the granting of planning permission, felling approved
in a legacy English Woodland Grant Scheme and trees felled on the Public Forest Estate.
There is also no obligation to fell the trees once a Licence, which can be valid for
up to 10 years, has been granted. These are some of the reasons why we do not know
how many trees have been cut down. In the vast majority of cases where clear felling
has been approved there will be a restocking requirement attached to the Licence.</p><p>
</p><p>The Forestry Commission also publishes, as part of its Corporate Plan Performance
Indicators, the net change in woodland area based on the balance between new planting
of woodland and woodland removal, this information was last updated on 13 June 2019
and can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forestry-commission-corporate-plan-performance-indicators"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forestry-commission-corporate-plan-performance-indicators</a></p><p>
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