Ronald Christie, who owns Christies of Fochabers, has revealed concerns that many of his 130 million trees may need to be destroyed following cuts to government funding. The seedlings were grown for the Scottish Government’s expanding forestry targets which play an essential role in combating climate change. However, with the budget being reduced, Christie predicts the market will shrink leaving skilled workers without employment. He is requesting that ministers re-evaluate the cuts, which he believes will harm the sector in the long term.
Scotland is required to plant 18,000 hectares of trees annually from 2021 as part of its commitment to address climate change. This target would involve roughly 28 million trees covering an area approximately three times the size of Dundee. Last December, it was announced that government funding for tree planting would be cut by 41%, from £77.2 million to £45.4 million. As a result, only 9,000 hectares of trees are projected to be planted from April.
Scotland has been leading the way in tree planting and has generated more new woodlands than the remainder of the UK combined. This is largely caused by having a larger proportion of land which is unsuitable for arable farming. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, making them a vital element for combating climate change. The ultimate goal is to increase tree coverage in Scotland from 19% of the landmass to 25%. However, Scottish ministers have struggled to achieve their tree-planting and greenhouse gas emission targets in recent years.
Christies employs dozens of people and has spent millions of pounds on machinery to expand its nursery based on the Scottish Government’s targets. Rhiannon Alexander, who works at the facility grading trees, is among those who face jeopardised employment due to the funding cuts. The forestry sector employed 20,000 people in the UK in 2021, and this figure has been increasing annually. Nonetheless, with industry plans for expansion, it has discovered that its aspirations are significantly constrained.
Stuart Goodall from Confor (Confederation of Forest Industries) believes the need for trees to combat climate change has given a boost to the forestry sector. He explains that the current cuts are a big blow, and confidence in the industry will take many years to recover. According to Goodall, tree planting is the most cost-effective way to lock up carbon and the cut in funding is a minor amount in comparison to the overall budget. The Scottish government increased its tree-planting target to 15,000 hectares in 2020, but only about 8,200 were actually planted. Ministers attribute the decision to UK government cuts to its block grant. However, Scotland is still planting more trees than the rest of the UK combined. Net-zero secretary Mairi McAllan emphasised the crucial role that tree planting plays in Scotland’s economy and climate targets
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