Reclamation

Urban and industrial wastelands in the United Kingdom represent a massive area which could be planted with trees.

Land classed as mineral working, landfill or derelict occupies perhaps 200,000 ha in England & Wales - roughly the size of Warwickshire.

Agricultural surpluses have meant a wholesale re-appraisal of land use in Britain. A steady expansion of forestry is a major aim of government policy. For land reclaimed after mineral working, dereliction or landfilling, there is now widespread feeling that woodland is a very appropriate after-use. The need to improve the appearance and recreational value of land in and around urban areas has encouraged tree planting in community forests, often on degraded or damaged land requiring reclamation.

Within the forestry industry there have also been changes in policy. Forests should now meet a range of objectives which include improving the appearance of the landscape, presenting opportunities for recreation and for public access to the countryside, and providing wildlife habitats as well as timber production.

The UK is a densely populated country - its land is precious. Derelict land continues to be formed. As well as derelict land, large areas of land have been worked for minerals. Substantial areas are affected either for surface mineral extraction or related disposal of mineral wastes. Modern legislation means that the majority of the land affected by mineral workings now has conditions attached to the planning permission - these should ensure proper reclamation to an appropriate after-use. However, for a sizeable area of land, there was little or no control of reclamation conditions before and most of that is or is likely to become derelict.

Derelict land can also be dangerous and usually ugly. It often detracts from the image of the surrounding neighbourhood so new industry and housing are discouraged, further reducing the economic prosperity of the region.

Left to its own devices, land affected by mineral workings or dereliction may eventually support a vegetation cover through slow natural colonisation.

There are many good reasons to consider forestry as a land-use after the reclamation of derelict land or mineral workings. It offers many benefits besides timber production, including landscape enhancement and the provision of important habitats for forest flora and fauna. Forests provide people with havens of peace and quiet to relax in and enjoy. In many areas, although timber production is still an ultimate objective, it is secondary to some or all of the other benefits.

Planting trees on land degraded by former industrial activity is making a growing contribution to the expansion of woodland. Trees planted on sites of this kind offer immense social and environmental benefits as well as increasing the possibility of economic activity on what was unproductive land