The Government has yet to commit to continuing funding the Nature for Climate scheme for tree planting ahead of October’s Budget announcement.

In the five years of the last Parliament, £750m was spent on the scheme, but without funding, a target of 7,500ha of new tree cover in 2025 and 8,900ha in 2030 cannot be achieved.

An analysis by the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit has also revealed that in the year to March 2024, 78 per cent of new woods and trees were funded by the Nature for Climate Fund.

Provisional data from Defra suggests England is set for historically poor harvest, and last year was the hottest on record, with average temperatures just shy of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said: “New woodlands are critical in the fight against climate change. They absorb and store carbon, helping in the race to net-zero emissions and help farmers and communities adapt to the impacts of extreme weather by slowing flood waters, shading livestock and reducing air pollution.

“Uncertainty now risks stalling momentum just as farmers and other landowners are thinking about the future,” he added.

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