Objective 1

The economic sustainability of woodland made more secure through support for business activity in key areas of environmental management, leisure and tourism, renewable energy, added value wood products and processing.

Trees, woods and forests are amongst our most valuable natural assets and make an important but complex contribution to our regional economy. Almost half of the region’s woodland is in private ownership and whilst commercial forestry and the marketing and processing of wood products is on a relatively small scale compared to other regions, it never the less provides a corner stone for much of the region’s private sector woodland management.

Commercial timber production is commonly part of a mix of woodland management activities and in many cases the indirect and induced economic benefits of the woodlands for activities such as shooting or leisure activities are now more valuable than their potential for commodity timber production. It is a major challenge to the woodland sector and the region to ensure that a greater proportion of the non-timber value of woodland finds its way back into investment in the woodland resource.

Wood products also have the potential to make a bigger contribution to the regional economy given the appropriate support and investment in products and producers. In particular wood fuel as a renewable, carbon neutral energy source, timber products for use in sustainable construction, the development of leisure and green tourism activities, the physical regeneration of land and the creation of attractive settings for residential and commercial development all offer important economic opportunities.

In rural areas, agricultural restructuring and changes to farming support are driving major changes to the land based economy and may bring new enterprise opportunities in the woodland sector.

Small, high quality craft based businesses and the development of products marketed on the basis of their locality of origin can make a valuable contribution to the rural economy. They are also important to the maintenance of the woodland skills base, without which the local distinctiveness of woodland management techniques will gradually be lost.

Most woodland enterprises are micro businesses and many operate in isolated rural locations. Achieving the right framework for training, skills development and business support to reflect changes in commercial opportunity and the multi-functional role of woodlands is a key challenge for the region.

Objective 2

A wider acknowledgement and support for the role that trees and woodlands play in assisting regeneration and creation of an attractive setting for inward investment and growth. Investing in the quality of the natural environment makes an important contribution to economic development through the positive statement that it makes to local communities, visitors and to investors.

The Regional Spatial Strategy identifies sub-regional priority areas and regeneration objectives for the three cities, northern (coalfield) and Lincoln City areas.

In rural areas the primary focus is on those ‘lagging’ economies where performance is weak and where a decline in traditional industries has resulted in higher incidence of low earnings, poor job opportunities, low workforce skills, health inequalities and poor housing.

In the south of the region the South Midlands Growth Area is driving major investment in new housing, economic development and sustainable communities. This has provided both a challenge and an opportunity for new and existing woodlands to enhance quality of life as a key part of the environmental infrastructure within which sustainable growth can take place.

The region has 9.5% of England’s derelict land and much of this is concentrated in the coalfield area as well as significant areas on Lincolnshire’s former military bases.

The remediation of derelict and contaminated sites and the reuse of brownfield land offers valuable opportunities for environmental enhancement and the development of green infrastructure. However great care is needed to ensure that the ecological interest of previously used land is protected and that new habitat and landscape developments are targeted to those areas of lesser ecological value.

National and regional initiatives such as The National Forest and the Greenwood Community Forest have proven themselves as highly successful, cost effective and sustainable vehicles to promote economic and social, as well environmental regeneration.

Elsewhere in the country the lessons learned from the Community Forests Programme have been successfully applied to other locations and regeneration objectives such as health improvement zones and neighbourhood renewal programmes.Where there is the need for new enterprise development, housing or the infrastructure that is needed to maintain regional competitiveness, it must be designed and located in ways which utilise land and resources efficiently and which provides a net gain for the local environment.