Responding to the Forestry Commission Chief Executive Richard Stanford's speech at the Confor conference in Westminster today (Thursday 8 December) the Soil Association highlighted the complete lack of mention of farmers and the opportunity for farm-scale forestry to deliver much more of the government's ambitions for tree planting and domestic wood production.

Soil Association Senior Advisor Regenerative Forestry Clive Thomas said: "We welcome Richard Stanford's speech and echo the need for a more innovative programme of woodland creation in England. However, as well as challenging the 'dogma' around tree species, the 'dogma' around the viability of farm-scale forestry should also be challenged.

"Woodland on farms, managed as part of the farm enterprise has much to offer in terms of more resilient farming, as well as contributing to domestic timber production. We also need to further invest in the management of our existing forests and woodlands, to manage them for climate, nature and people through lower impact 'continuous cover forestry', with quality timber production as a core output.

"If the government is to achieve its tree planting targets it needs to get the farm-scale cog moving so that farmers can play their role in this national effort. It also needs to better support the pioneers in the continuous cover forestry movement so that the same incentives and tools are available as they are for other forms of forest management. It's critical that we have a clear vision of how we can maximise the benefits that a substantial increase in forests and woodland can deliver together with the right forestry management approach to achieve this. Our Regenerative Forestry Report outlines how we can grow and change the way our forests are managed to make them fit for the future.

"Government needs to move beyond the tree planting rhetoric to support a more integrated approach to land use in the UK. This means working with the forestry industry to create more productive and sustainable forests, putting farmers in the driving seat to achieve a UK tree revolution planting a very significant number of additional trees on their land, and the widespread adoption of agroforestry - so creating tree abundant landscapes."