To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to outline how his proposed Tree Planting Action Plan will help address biodiversity decline and climate change.

The management and expansion of our woodlands in Northern Ireland are vital for biodiversity, climate resilience, and community wellbeing. Sustainable forest management and tree planting are central to the Department’s commitment to the climate change and biodiversity challenges.

Taking forward actions identified in the development of the Tree Planting Action Plan will contribute to meeting the objective of 12% forest cover by 2050 and provide greater opportunities to address biodiversity decline and mitigate climate change. The Tree Planting Action Plan will point to the forestry contributions needed to achieve Climate Action Plan targets.

Tree planting, particularly with native tree species, helps to address biodiversity decline by restoring degraded habitats, riparian zones, and ancient woodlands. New diverse woodlands support a wide range of flora and fauna, including birds, insects, fungi, and mammals. In establishing new woodlands there is great opportunity to link fragmented habitats, allowing species to migrate, breed, and adapt to environmental changes.

Woodlands and trees sequester carbon and help to mitigate climate change. They contribute to increased climate resilience and provide a sustainable supply of timber, substituting more carbon-intensive products, for example in the housing and construction markets.

I look forward to working with key stakeholders to co-design and develop the Plan and finding innovative ways to encourage and incentivise landowners appropriately to introduce woodland areas as part of their business activities, delivering the biodiversity and wider environmental values for society.