It has been revealed that the Scottish Government is falling woefully short of fulfilling their target to replant new woodland.
In 2010 the SNP set a target of replanting, every year, 10,000 hectares of woodland, however in their six years of government they have only managed an average of 5200 hectares per year.
Furthermore, figures from the latest budget show that the Scottish Government is under-funding the initiative, which will result in there being little hope of meeting the 10,000 hectare target. Figures show that even if the entire Forestry Commission budget was used for woodland creation, a maximum of 7000 hectares could be planted annually.
It was recently revealed that the Scottish Government have felled over 5 million trees (2,510 hectares) to make room for wind turbines.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“If the Scottish Government is serious about meeting their Climate Change Targets then perhaps they should prioritise the replanting of trees over the construction of windfarms.
“The contribution trees make to our environment has been well established through the ages and are crucial in displacing harmful carbon dioxide emissions.
“Back in 2010 the Scottish Government announced this target with great publicity but once again it has proven to be a case of words and not deeds from the SNP.”