Northern Ireland failing to meet tree planting targets | UK News

Tree planting in Northern Ireland is too slow to meet legally binding targets and thousands of residents are living in “tree poor” neighbourhoods, according to the Woodland Trust.

The organisation’s latest ‘State of The UK’s Woods and Trees: Northern Ireland’ report finds the failure to meet tree planting targets is putting climate action, nature recovery and community wellbeing at risk.

Less than 20% of the 2030 target for new woodland has been planted between 2020 and 2024.

The report calls for better protection for ancient and long-established woodlands, more investment in forestry skills, better evidence gathering, and prioritisation of tree planting in areas of greatest need.

John Martin, director of the Woodland Trust NI, said Northern Ireland “very much needs” to see tree planting increase.

“We haven’t met those targets and at the minute there is no plan in place to help meet those targets in a way that’s efficient to get to 2030.

“The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago, the second-best time is today.

“So we need to get on with this urgently.”

Woodlands and trees in Northern Ireland face threats from pests and diseases like ash dieback.

Deer, extreme weather exacerbated by climate change, and damage from pollution also threaten trees.

Based on 2024 figures, just 1,700 hectares of new woodland have been planted between 2020 and 2024 – less than 20% of the 9,000-hectare 2030 target.

Since those figures were collated, an additional 500 hectares has been planted in 2025.

That still leaves almost 7,000 hectares to be planted in less than five years – just over 75% of the target.

Just 8.6% of Northern Ireland’s land area is wooded, compared to 19% in Scotland, 15% in Wales, 11% in the Republic of Ireland, and 10% in England.

Ancient woodland – that can be shown to be ancient with a high degree of certainty – is now extremely rare in Northern Ireland, at just 0.04%.

“We visit probably some of our ancient woodland sites without even knowing they are ancient – some of those trees have been around since the 1600s,” Mr Martin said.

“They have a very specific biodiversity associated with them – very specific soil, very specific species that exist within there and I think we probably just take that for granted.”

The Woodland Trust has called on the Northern Ireland government to support stronger legal protection for the oldest and most significant trees.

Mr Martin said there were “a range of different reasons” for the slow pace of tree planting in Northern Ireland, including changes in land use as a result of Brexit.

Under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (Cap), landowners received financial incentives if they set aside land for tree planting.

Post-Brexit, Mr Martin explained: “There are still incentives there absolutely, but there is less certainty around what those incentives look like going forward.

“There’s also been some delay to those grants going out.”

The Woodland Trust NI director added that 75% of land in Northern Ireland is “managed for agriculture”.

“We’re very good at growing grass in Northern Ireland,” he said, but added: “We’re way behind in terms of tree cover in comparison to other parts of the UK and Europe”.

Urban Tree Canopy Cover (UTCC) averages just over 15% here, which is among the lowest in the UK.

That figure drops to less than 10% in many urban areas.

Mr Martin said those low levels of tree cover can have a direct impact on people.

“That health and wellbeing element is really important, but also those nature-based solutions – they draw in carbon, they give us shade, they improve water quality, they reduce flood risk.

“All of those things are really important and by increasing our afforestation, we can increase more of those benefits to wider society.”