Petition Review protections for important trees: amend Forestry Act & list heritage trees
Review and strengthen protections. Amend the Forestry Act 1967 to explicitly define and set a higher evidence bar for exempting any ancient tree felling from licences. Publish and maintain a list of heritage trees with protected status as proposed in the Heritage Trees Private Members Bill 2023-24.
More details
We'd also like the Government to formally commit to implementing the recommendations of a DEFRA-commissioned report from the Tree Council (April 2025), which amongst other recommendations called for engaging key stakeholders within 12 months of publication, and the development of an ‘action plan’ for important trees.
Ancient trees are irreplaceable habitats, and we believe they need better protection. The Forestry Act currently allows some to be felled without felling licences; we think there must be a more rigorous licensing requirement.
5,218 signatures
Show on a map the geographical breakdown of signatures by constituency
10,000 signatures required to get a government response
At 10,000 signatures...
At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition
At 100,000 signatures...
At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament