Thank you for your statement, Minister. I'm glad you've reiterated that forestry is one of your top priorities. Urban trees hold historical and cultural significance, and there's no doubt that, without trees, our urban environments would be very different places. The physical and mental health benefits to people of trees in urban areas are well documented. The Woodland Trust highlights the benefits of people exercising more and feeling better around trees. Urban trees are critical to human health and well-being. Trees provide shade, absorb carbon dioxide, filter air pollution, mitigate floods and provide habitats for wildlife and plants. Urban trees are particularly effective at absorbing carbon dioxide.

It's important that we find ways to value trees more effectively, to build more sustainable and liveable urban areas. New research at University College London found that urban green zones absorb as much carbon dioxide as rainforests. They conducted a study of 85,000 trees in north London to show the importance of planting and protecting urban forests to offset fossil fuel emissions, and I hope the Minister will look into this study and see how Wales can learn from this research. 

The Welsh Government's Plant! scheme has been successful, and initiatives like this must continue. I understand that many trees that were planted in Caerleon in my constituency during the 1970s were done so during a campaign for 'Plant a Tree in '73', and, the following year, 'Plant Some More in '74'. However, we've got a lot of ground to make up, and there's no doubt that more must be done, particularly around new housing developments, as Joyce Watson has said, and infrastructure. As the Minister said, it's really important that we're planting the right trees in the right places. 

The city of Newport is fortunate to have large areas of green space that people can easily access, and award-winning parks such as Belle Vue Park, Tredegar Park and Beechwood Park. In addition, Wentwood forest is on our doorstep, and is part of the largest block of ancient woodland within Wales, with a recorded history spanning over 1,000 years. The network of woodland paths, including downhill mountain bike trails, is very popular and well-loved. However, there's more to do to ensure the local community, especially young people, can access this. In our 'Branching out' report last year, the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee recognised the work that local woodland groups are doing in protecting our urban green spaces and making them more accessible. One such group in my constituency is the Bassaleg Community Woodland Trust, which is made up of local volunteers. It's crucial that community groups, NRW, local authorities and private landowners work together to pursue woodland enterprise opportunities and support community ownership of woodlands. 

The social benefit of woodlands was a main theme in the 'Branching out' report, and I'm glad the strategy recognises the role urban woodlands can play in community cohesion. So, with this in mind, Minister, what can the Welsh Government do to support existing groups, such as the one in Bassaleg, and encourage similar ones to form to ensure that more of our green spaces can be enjoyed by our urban communities?