Completed petition The Climate Emergency and a National Forest for Wales

We call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to urgently increase tree cover to help address this climate emergency & the well documented collapse of nature.

The Welsh Government's 'State of Natural Resources Report' said no ecosystems in Wales are resilient.

We need more trees in urban & rural areas to address high levels of air pollution, lessen heatwaves & floods, increase wildlife & create a carbon store above & below ground.

Rivers, hedgerows & verges can provide quality habitat connectivity, these criss-cross Wales from mountains to coast.  Many have biodiversity rich ancient woods, meadows & marshes alongside them, but their range & quality has massively declined in the last 50 years.

Our rivers are healthiest when bordered by wide strips of lightly grazed broadleaf woodland river banks. Trees provide some dappled shade keeping rivers cool & protecting them from pollutants, reducing unsustainable soil loss, whilst helping to keep farmers on the land.

To help nature recover we need to recreate more wildlife friendly landscapes by creating more & healthier interconnecting habitats.

Placed & funded correctly, a new national forest can deliver many solutions for all future generations, a more 'resilient Wales'.

We call for a comprehensive strategy to deliver:

• an increase of 5000 hectares per year in tree cover in urban areas, on farms, & in the uplands
  
• tree cover that is at least 50% native broadleaf trees, best for biodiversity, & public well-being
  
• sustainable management of existing trees, forests, woodland & hedges, to protect them from damage & provide a mixed mosaic of habitat for wildlife & people
  
• new funding for farmers for 'Hedges & Edges' & traditional woodland pasture -agroforestry
  
• funding for community tree nurseries, for people to be involved in finding sites, planting, & growing trees right across Wales
  
• a truly national & innovative 'National Forest for Wales'