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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Question reference: S6W-18042

  • Date lodged: 17 May 2023
  • Current status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 30 May 2023

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-02223 by Gillian Martin on 11 May 2023, how it calculated the figure of £1.3 billion.


Answer

The figure of £1.3 billion was included in the 2021 Green Finance Institute (GFI) report on the finance gap for nature related outcomes, and was for estimated woodland creation and maintenance costs up to 2031. Costs are calculated by multiplying the total target area of woodland to be created (as specified by the Climate Change Plan 2018 – 2032) with a unit cost per area for planting and, separately, subsequent maintenance. This figure is in line with estimates by Scottish Forestry, who were also represented on the project board for the GFI report. It should be noted that nature restoration costs can vary significantly between individual sites (the type and size of intervention, location and existing condition all being factors) and that a cost estimate for the whole of Scotland gives only a partial representation of restoration needs. The next Climate Change Plan will set out the costs and benefits of the policies it contains and will include details on financial costs of policies, including those in the forestry sector.