Member

However, one of the reasons for me tabling the amendment to suggest replacing lost cover “twofold”—that was, candidly, an arbitrary number—is that I would not like to see, for example, what happened back in 1987 with the hurricane that affected large parts of this country and blew down a million trees in a small part of Suffolk. I was later told by Natural England that it would have opposed any replanting of what was there. I am conscious of what has been said. It may just have been conifer plantations. Nevertheless, they provided a purpose. Would we want instead to see just solar farms in the middle of the magnificent series of forests that we have there? That would not be right. My sense is that, if it is going to press on with this, a lot of it will hopefully be on aspects such as turbines and similar to generate electricity locally or put it into the grid, but it is vital that we continue to make sure that the Forestry Commission thinks that its main job is to plant trees and to help grow our woodland cover across this country.