Patent this

Patent this.

Offer a source of shade and cooling

Provide a low carbon building material or energy source

It’s an object that makes every human being feel happier

A wildlife habitat and pollution filter

Provide a flood management system

Help stabilise erosion-pront soils

It can absorb and lock up carbon

Trees. It’s time to get planting.

TREES

CITIES

CARBON WOOD

JOBS

HAPPINESS

BEAUTY

Radically increase tree planting and double woodland cover.

Bring a cool green revolution to our towns and cities.

Play a major part in tackling climate change.

Produce more timber and use more timber.

Support green jobs and sustainable skills.

Create healthier and happier communities.Transform our region’s image, from the field to the city.

European Union37%United Kingdom8.4%

England’s Northwest6.6%

Mersey Belt4%

Why does it matter?Why does it matter?- Biodiversity and landscape ‘underperforming’

- Less accessible woodland for 7 million people.

- Less carbon ‘locked up’ in our landscape. - Less resilient to the impacts of climate change.

- Areas of existing woodland that are disconnected.

- We are producing less timber than we might.- Failing to protect jobs in our sector.

Trees.- We will radically increase tree planting and double our woodland cover.

- The Northwest has the opportunity and the capacity.

- We have the ‘headroom’ for growth.- We have significantly lower levels of woodland cover than both the national and European averages.

- We also have the available land for a number of types of new woodland planting.

Doubling woodland cover- Can we double our levels of woodland cover by 2050?

- Total land area of the Northwest = 1.4 million hectares. - 96,000 hectares is woodland – 6.6% of our land area.

- To double woodland cover would require us to plant an additional 2,400 hectares of woodland each year over the next 40 years.

- AND we need to ensure that we do not lose any existing areas of woodland through land use change.

- This target does not include the critical place of trees in towns.

Overcoming barriers- Historical support for other types of land use.- High land values. - Competition with other land use types.- Woodland management.- Possible solutions?

- New, innovative approaches to planting- Woodland creation as part of planning or development permissions

- Reformed grant regimes - A greater focus on carbon sequestration opportunities, a greater market for woodfuel and a future, significant shortfall in our domestic timber supply.

Cities.

Cities.

Cities.- We will bring a cool green revolution to our towns and cities.- Increased property prices.- Reduced traffic noise.- Higher levels of health and mental wellbeing. - Reducing the urban heat island effect.- Helping to reduce the risk of surface water flooding.

10%more trees

Greening Greater Manchester- If Greater Manchester were to increase its tree cover by 10% for example, it could stabilise maximum surface temperature levels at or below the 1961-1990 baseline until the end of the century.

- BUT a 10% decrease in urban greening, combined with the effects of climate change, could increase the maximum surface temperature of high density residential areas by up to 7 degrees.

Cities.- Issues include:- Mapping and auditing our areas.- Integrating with key urban strategies.- Winning hearts and minds.- Our doubling woodland cover target could and should be matched with a similar doubling of the tree canopy in our urban areas.

Carbon.

Carbon.- We will play a major part in tackling climate change.

- UK Low Carbon Transition Plan- In 2007, forests in England removed about 2.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

- The rate is declining, as forests planted in the 1950s to 1980s reach maturity.

- An additional 10,000 hectares of woodland per year for 15 years could remove up to 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide between now and 2050.

Our CO2 potential- 96,000 hectares of woodland in the region, representing a carbon dioxide store of almost 24 million tonnes.

- Business as usual, 400 hectares per year, would still see a carbon dioxide store of 3.9 million tonnes created by 2050

Our CO2 potential16 million tonnes

3.9 million tonnes

Our CO2 potential- To double our woodland cover would store an additional 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050.

- Even by 2020, an ambitious woodland creation programme could store 738,000 tonnes.

- Based on an average accumulation rate of 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year.

An affordable carbon strategy- The social cost of this removal would be much less than other possible measures. - According to the Read Report, an affordable cost per tonne of CO2 is considered to be anything below £100.

- Depending upon the type of woodland created, the cost per tonne of securing CO2 through woodland creation ranges from £75 for broadleaf farm woodland to a negative cost - i.e. a positive economic gain - of £50 per tonne for forests producing energy crops.

- NOT COUNTED... additional benefits, beyond carbon storage- of timber products being used and displacing more energy intensive materials- the opportunity to radically increase our production of woodfuel and other energy crops.

Wood.

Wood.- We will produce more timber and use more timber.- A singular and immediate opportunity to address a critical market failure.

- The virtual disappearance of supplies of domestic timber from England within a generation.

- We are planting softwood in particular at a much slower rate.- This will result in ‘peak wood’ during the 2020s with a radical cut in timber availability.

- Just as the market for low carbon products will be reaching maturity. - And as existing softwood areas are felled, re-stocking is often reduced through opening up to new land uses, or a switch to broadleaves.

Wood.- Time to turn back to commercial, productive forestry in order to

- sustain our vibrant timber sector - to displace higher carbon materials in the market place.

- to lock up even higher levels of carbon

- If the 26,000 additional households forecast for the Northwest by 2026 were all built in this way, we could save over 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, through timber frames alone.

One tonne of timber CO2 equals...- BRICK 4x - CONCRETE 5x- GLASS 6x- STEEL 24x- ALUMINIUM 126x

LESS MORE

Jobs.

Jobs.- We will support green jobs and green skills.- Timber and forest related industries are worth £435 million in England’s Northwest and employ 69,000 people.

- Timber processing and sawmilling employs 8,345 people

- BSW at Carlisle processes 320,000 cubic metres of timber each year and employs 140 people.

- Iggesund in Workington has a £144 million turnover and employs 500 people

- A W Jenkinson in Penrith employs 350 people and has a turnover of £150 million per year.

Jobs- Plus tourism, leisure and recreational pursuits that are heavily reliant on the region’s woodlands.

- New woodlands, for example those created on neglected or derelicit land sites through the Newlands programme, can have a direct impact on business investment levels, too.

- Our sector can play a direct part in tackling worklessness and getting people back into work.

- The region also has an education and research capacity, e.g.

- University of Cumbria’s National School of Forestry - Pulp and paper research at the University of Manchester.

The Green New Deal.- As we double tree cover, lock up more carbon and boost our production and use of timber across the region, we want to make forestry and timber-related businesses in the region the direct and immediate beneficiaries of our ‘green new deal’ on woodlands.

- THESE ARE THE REAL GREEN COLLAR JOBS

Happiness.

Happiness. - We will help to create healthier and happier communities.- More trees mean a happier society. - An increase in multi-purpose, accessible areas of woodland will bring direct and immediate health benefits.

- Trees make life more liveable. Woodlands are restorative environments- they can screen out noise from nearby traffic- they can absorb large numbers of people - offer a range of activities from gentle to vigorous, including walking, cycling, horse-riding, nature trails, picnics and mountain biking.

Evidence of happiness- Just one case study from Chicago comparing people living in flats with, or without, a view of trees and grass found that a greener environment:

- reduced stress in children; - increased concentration and self discipline; - reduced symptoms of ADHD; - increased the amount of play for local children; - halved the incidence of violent crimes and domestic violence; - increased strength of community and - increased the ability of the poorest single parent mothers to cope with major life issues.

Evidence of happiness- Another study carried out in the Netherlands recently revealed that for every 10% increase in green space there was a reduction in health complaints equivalent to a reduction of five years of age.

- Green space, in health terms, literally made local communities younger.

Access is critical.- In England’s Northwest we have made progress - Around 67% of the region’s population now lives within 4km or a woodland sized 20 hectares or more

- Greater than the national average for the English regions but with much more scope for increased access - and wellbeing.

- As we increase our woodland cover, we must and will increase access, too. We want to see every household in the region brought within five minutes walk of an area of green space of at least two hectares.

Beauty.

The value of green image- The Return on Investment? - Bold Moss in St Helens

- Bold Colliery site, derelict industrial land - Transformed into a community woodland and nearly 600 new homes built.

- Property values in the surrounding area had risen by £15m as a direct result.

- New developments worth £75m had been attracted.

Beauty.- We will transform our region’s image, from the field to the city.- Your brand is what you’re known for. - You cannot shift image and reputation through marketing or the creation of straplines or logos: it is in the physicality of a place and in the experience of that place that a ‘brand’ is created.

- A radical programme of urban and rural greening across England’s Northwest will have a dramatic impact on regional image and reputation.

- Our regional marketing campaigns can capture and telegraph reality but only if an investment is made in creating a more beautiful and liveable region.

The transformative impact- There are a number of ways in which trees and woodlands can make a dramatic impact on image and reputation:

- ‘The Airport Road’ experience for international visitors and investors

- The built environment and major development schemes, ensuring that major developments are successful and fully let.

- House prices and housing market renewal. - Stronger communities.

- If our aesthetic experience is enhanced we are more likely to feel a stronger bond of community, and a stronger identification with place and the others that we share it with.

A beautiful region- A beautiful region? This should be our final manifesto aim.

- The less whimsical bottom line however on regional brand is...

-Trees will mean more business, added value to investments in major schemes, a more buoyant housing market and stronger, more cohesive communities.

TREES

CITIES

CARBON WOOD

JOBS

HAPPINESS

BEAUTY

Radically increase tree planting and double woodland cover.Bring a cool green revolution to our towns and cities.Play a major part in tackling climate change.Produce more timber and use more timber.Support green jobs and sustainable skills.Create healthier and happier communities.Transform our region’s image, from the field to the city.


But where?

First ‘foundation’ assessment...

England’s Northwest Total land areakm2 ha

Environmentally constrained 4,905 490,499Urban outside environmental constraints 2,570 256,963Rural outside environmental constraints (agricultural land grades 1, 2 & high likelihood 3a)

2,024 202,356

Rural outside environmental constraints (other) 4,628 462,824

Total 14,126 1,412,642

Existing woodland according to WI Total land areaha %

Environmentally constrained 43,116 8.8%Urban outside environmental constraints 7,506 2.9%Rural outside environmental constraints (agricultural land grades 1, 2 & high likelihood 3a)

8,863 4.4%

Rural outside environmental constraints (other) 34,267 7.4%

Total 93,752 6.6%

Additional woodland initial suggestion Land areaha %


4,047 2.0%


Total 75,642 5.4%

Based on Lancashire evidence Land areaha %


3,533 1.7%


Total 66,034 4.7%

Suggested - Cumbria Land area

ha %

Environmentally constrained 22,543 6.0%

Urban outside environmental constraints 272 2.0%

Rural outside environmental constraints (agricultural land grades 1, 2 & high likelihood 3a)

1,351 2.0%


Total 41,854 6.2%

Suggested - Lancashire Land areaha %

Environmentally constrained 5,064 6.0%Urban outside environmental constraints 1,155 2.0%


1,057 2.0%


Total 16,109 5.3%

Suggested - Merseyside Land area

ha %

Environmentally constrained 229 6.0%

Urban outside environmental constraints 1,032 2.0%


198 2.0%

Rural outside environmental constraints (other) 529 8.0%

Total 1,987 2.8%

Suggested - Greater Manchester Land area

ha %Environmentally constrained 489 6.0%Urban outside environmental constraints 1,864 2.0%


79 2.0%


Total 4,158 3.3%

Suggested - Cheshire Land areaha %

Environmentally constrained 851 6.0%Urban outside environmental constraints 805 2.0%


1,359 2.0%


Total 11,225 5.0%

hectaresLancashire 16,109Cheshire 11,225Merseyside 1,987Greater Manchester 4,158Cumbria 41,854Total 75,333

...time for a regional dialogue

TOO LOW

TOO LOW

??

?

Next Steps. More homework.

- CREATION How much can we plant and how quickly? - THE MIX What mix of forestry types can we purse? - CAPACITY What is the region’s capacity for woodland creation? - CARBON 1 How much carbon dioxide storage will our new woodlands offer?

- CARBON 2 What will be the secondary carbon dioxide benefits, for example

- through energy crops or timber?- ECONOMICS And what will the direct and indirect economic benefits be?

Capacity- What is the region’s capacity for woodland creation?- Our initial work to be verified and twinned with an analysis of

- land availability, - cost, - constraints (especially environmental) and - possible innovations that could overcome real and perceived barriers to woodland creation.

- Consideration also to be given to competing land uses, in particular food production and housing.

The mix- What mix of forestry types can we or should we pursue? - Current ‘state of the art’ in terms of native woodland creation, productive forestry leading to timber production, energy crops and other, mixed approaches to woodland creation including food production.

- Some analysis of levels of possible woodland access (given a target in the Manifesto for increased, universal access) and

- to projected levels of climate change in the region and their impact on candidate tree species.

- Links to ecological site classification and FC Research Team.

Creation- How much can we plant and how quickly? - How do we hit a ‘doubling’ target of woodland cover by 2050 (within a generation). - This part of the study will identify current financial incentives including taxation arrangements for woodland creation.

- Also need a parallel, remote sensing assessment of urban tree canopy levels. - Link to existing or emerging, sub-regional green infrastructure plans. - Three delivery scenarios that will move us towards our target and - Specifically identify target land areas and sites across the region as ‘early wins’ - And the capacity of the sector to deliver an accelerated woodland creation programme.

Carbon (1)- How much carbon dioxide storage will our new woodlands offer?

- At a conservative rate of 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year, could secure 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide storage by 2050.

- This part of the scoping study should verify the figures we have and examine ‘carbon scenarios’ for differing types of woodland creation and

- Take into account an imminent ‘carbon standard’ for forestry projects that is due to be released by Defra.

Carbon (2)- What will be the secondary carbon dioxide benefits, for example through energy crops or timber?

- ... particularly through timber production and the ‘displacement’ of more energy intensive materials in the marketplace and

- through a desired increase in woodfuel/biomass production as part of the woodland creation ‘mix’.

Economics- What will the direct and indirect economic benefits be? - Jobs in creation - can we estimate the direct job creation and business opportunities through a programme of woodland creation

- Jobs through products - a projection of possible future resource flows in terms of energy crops and timber, for example.

- Jobs safeguarded - the 8,500 people currently employed directly in timber and timber processing and the larger number - 69,000 - who are working in the wider forestry and forest products sector as a whole.

And back in the real world...- PLUS real world case studies- One: Omega

- This 230 hectare strategic site on the M62 comprises a large part of the former Royal Air Force / United States Air Force Burtonwood Airbase.

- Two: The Lake District National Park- The LDNP Authority is working on a ‘Low Carbon Lake District’ and plans for increasing woodland cover, which provide a tight fit to the regional proposal to double woodland cover.

Timings and programme- Manifesto agreed by NWFF Forum

- Includes FC, Natural England, NWDA, Environment Agency, Woodland Trust, Community Forests, Confor and local authorities

- Engagement with landowners and sub-regions started- Presentations and alignment with national plans PLUS RS2010

- Research brief - MAY- First draft - JUNE- Final draft - SEPTEMBER- Launch - SEPTEMBER


Documents

Patent this