GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE: THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF TREES, WOODLANDS AND FORESTRY

Green infrastructure is a term that many of us will no doubt have heard of, in that it has become much more common currency in relation to new policy and proposals within the planning and development field within the last five years. But what is green infrastructure? What is its role within the planning system? Is it relevant to ourselves as tree and woodland practitioners? How can green infrastructure be delivered and how can we be involved in the process? This paper sets out to answer these questions, setting out both the policy context and bringing practitioners up to date with the way in which the policy is being brought forward and led by the development within Growth Areas and emerging New Growth Points. It will help to re-emphasise the importance of trees and woodland with particular reference to their green infrastructure function and it will provide guidance as to how we as practitioners should engage with the emerging policy. It will explore how we may be able to assist in the delivery of green infrastructure as a critical element of our urban and peri-urban environments going into the future.