THE current rate of woodland creation in England means the Government will be seven years late in hitting its 11m trees target, according to forestry trade body Confor.

The target of planting 11 m trees in the 2015-2020 parliamentary term has been repeated regularly by successive Cabinet ministers, including Environment Secretary, Andrea Leadsom.

However, latest Forestry Commission statistics show only 1.35m trees have been planted since the Conservatives came to office in May 2015 – an average of 75,166 trees per month.

Stuart Goodall, Confor chief executive, said: "At that rate, it will take 12.2 years, taking us into late summer 2027, before the target is hit. This simply isn't good enough and much more needs to be done."

He welcomed the recent announcement of the £19m Woodland Carbon Fund, which is targeted at schemes of more than 30 hectares.

"It is larger-scale planting that will really make a difference in hitting the target as well as delivering a wide range of economic, environmental and social benefits to our rural communities," he said.

Meanwhile, forestry investment experts have reported a shortage of good quality, commercial forests and a strong financial case for creating new ones.

Jason Sinden, of Tilhill Forestry, said that with strong government support for planting in England and Wales – and particularly in Scotland – there was a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to create a productive resource for future generations.

The UK Forest Market Report 2016 was launched in London and Edinburgh.

Forestry experts from Tilhill Forestry and John Clegg & Co – Strutt & Parker's independent forestry arm – highlighted the report's key topics which, for the first time since 2005, included a review of woodlands and commercial broadleaf crops.

Mr Sinden said investment returns in the sector were good, but there was a shortage of good quality forests, especially younger ones.

He said: "The UK timber processing industry is continuing to grow and develop as the forests, planted in the 1970s and 1980s mature. However, the lack of more recent planting means that there will be a shortage of timber in about 20 years’ time.

"Investors planting productive new forests now will be in an excellent position to benefit from this and there is also a ready market for young forests."

Fenning Welstead, partner in John Clegg & Co, said low interest rates were a good reason for having a proportion of a portfolio’s assets in forestry. But one of his main concerns was the need for re-stocking.

He said: "Given statistics showing that restocking of felled conifer crops is lagging behind the harvested area, we are at risk of losing productive forest area at a time when the demand for timber shows every sign of increasing. Paying attention to the quality of restocking is vital to the long-term capital value of your forest.

"Creating new forests, however, is as important as restocking and more farmers are looking at releasing land to create outstanding forest resources for the future, potentially offering greater integration with farming."