Can I echo some of the comments with regard to urban conurbation that have been made by the Members here? If you stand on a hill overlooking Cwmbran and Newport, then the actual conurbation itself is often obscured by tree cover, and it would be great to see that echoed in other cities throughout Wales. 

Woodlands are a unique environmental and commercial asset, so given the environment of targets and Acts brought forward by the Welsh Government over the last decade, it is quite astounding how it has neglected this vital national resource. I'm afraid it is yet another example of the Welsh Government talking a good talk and yet failing to meet the agendas and targets it itself sets.

Since its 'Woodlands for Wales' strategy was published in 2001, which amongst other things was to encourage the planting of trees in a sustainable and expanding forestry industry, we have actually lost 14,000 hectares of woodland and have a shortfall running at 31,000 planted hectares. Under its new strategy, the Welsh Government has set a target of just 2,000 hectares of new planting for the next five years. This means it will take all of 50 years to achieve its once-stated goal of 100,000 hectares of new woodland—hardly a substantial commitment to the forestry industry.

It seems incredible that this resource, which has the potential to give such diverse benefits as economic growth, reduction of imports, carbon reduction, flood prevention, not to mention health and tourist promotion, has been so neglected by this Government for so long. Surely it is time for the Welsh Government to step up to the plate and not only implement the recommendations of the report, but commit to a truly ambitious strategy to greatly expand this industry and let Wales be a world leader in embracing this vital, natural asset. Notwithstanding the above comments, I can confirm that UKIP will be supporting this report.