A ‘FOREST for Devon’ that could see thousands of trees planted to help tackle climate change will be considered by Devon County Council.

Cornwall Council recently revealed a plan to create a 20,000-acre forest as the flagship project in Cornwall Council’s climate change and carbon-neutral action plan.

The £30-million plan would develop a mass woodland tree planting programme and once fully developed, a Forest for Cornwall will cover approximately 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) — about two per cent of Cornwall’s land mass.

Around 50,000 trees would be planted ‘in streets, in hedgerows and through the creation of new woodlands and forested areas’ and bids are being prepared for government supported national tree planting schemes already by Cornwall Council for its proposed forest.

Cllr Rob Hannaford, leader of the Labour Group on Devon County Council, asked a recent full council meeting if a similar scheme could be considered and progressed in Devon to further enhance the South West peninsula’s carbon neutral status, saying it would be natural progression across the border.

In response, Cllr Rufus Gilbert, cabinet member for economy and skills, said that the idea was being referred to the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group and would be included and factored into Devon County Council’s Climate Change Strategy.

He added: ‘A Net-Zero Task Force of specialists was appointed in September 2019 to develop a draft plan by summer 2020.

‘The process will involve evidence gathering through a set of hearings, each focused on an individual decarbonisation topic, and community involvement including the use of a citizens’ assembly.

‘The various opportunities available for land-use to absorb carbon, including tree planting, will be considered through this process.’

Cllr Hannaford said that he was pleased that the climate change action board would look into the feasibility of the idea.

The meeting also saw the council agree to look into amending its declaration of a Climate Emergency to include an Ecological Emergency and that in light of the recent climate and ecological emergency protests, the council would reconsider its date for becoming carbon neutral from 2050 to a revised date of 2025.

The motions, put forward by Cllr Jacqi Hodgson, were referred to the cabinet for consideration, which will then bring back the recommendation to the next full council meeting.

Cllr Hodgson said that she was happy for the motions to be referred to the cabinet to give it more time for the implications to be considered.