Tree planting

Please provide the following information:

1. Does the council have a target for increasing tree cover, either as a number of individual trees or as a canopy cover percentage (or both)?

1a. If so, please state the target(s), the baseline from which they are measured, and the timeframe for achieving them.

2. What methods does the council plan to use to achieve any such target?

2a. Please specify what proportion, if any, is intended to be achieved through natural regeneration rather than active planting.

3. What budget has the council allocated to tree planting, natural regeneration and/or canopy cover expansion for each financial year from 2020/21 to the current financial year?

3a. Please include both capital and revenue budgets where these are held separately.

4. What progress has been made against any targets set out in answer to question 1?

4a. Please provide the most recent available figures, including the date to which they relate.

5. Does the council have a tree planting strategy, urban forestry strategy, or equivalent policy document that governs this work?

5a. If so, please provide a copy or a link to where it is publicly available.

1. Yes, the council does have a target for increasing tree cover, the target is a number of trees.

1a.The target is 750,000 with no deadline date set.

2. The planting target is to be met with the planting of trees, woods, hedges and orchards.  This is to be achieved using a number of approaches. The creation of the LIncWoods Project, 2 Officers to give advice and take landowners and organisations through the various funding options to achieve the best outcomes. This includes direct funding by LCC, partnerships with organisations such as the Woodland Trust MOU, obtaining funds through other grant sources/schemes such as Coronation Living Heritage Fund CLHF, Forestry Commission schemes such as EWCO, and The Tree Councils Trees Outside of Woodland grant TOW.

2a.The target has no set amount allocated to natural regeneration. Advice is given on an individual site by site basis.

3 - 3a.

• 2024/2025 WT MOU £ 43,630, LCC schemes £6,732.43, (LCC £50,362.43) plus CLHF £43,687.72 Total = £ 94,050.15
• 2025/2026 WT MOU £36,430. LCC schemes £720 (LCC £37,150) plus TOW £31,243.71 LCC/Co-op orchards £6008 Total = £ 74,401.71

4 - 4a. There has been a total of 221,270 trees planted from the 2021/2022 season up to and including the 2025/2026 season

2021/2022 = 30,000 ( Includes Lincoln Eastern Bypass planting)

2022/2023 = 14,557

2023/2024 = 21,808 (LincWoods Project starts)

2024/2025 = 75,989

2025/2026 = 78,916

5. Yes, The Council does have a Tree Strategy document that guides delivery of the planting target, to ensure the philosophy of the right tree, in the right place for the right reason with the right support is lived up to.

5a. Please see attached LCC Tree Strategy.

Should you require the attachments mentioned above please contact customerinformationservice@lincolnshire.gov.uk with the below reference number and this can be provided.