Up to 40,000 trees could be planted in the island next year.

Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture Geoffrey Boot has revealed in a Keys written answer.

Mr Boot was asked by Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew) how many trees have been planted and how many felled by the department since January 2015?

It was revealed that the government has felled 62,000 trees ’as part of its commercial, plant health and safety management operations across the public estate’.

The Minister added: ’The majority of which formed part of the proactive planning to restructure and diversify the forest and woodland estate to increase resilience, biodiversity and sustainability.

’During this same period my department has planted across the same estate approximately 125,000 trees of various species.’

He went on to add that DEFA is ’currently preparing to plant in the region of 40,000 trees as part of our ongoing forest management plan’.

This is also part of Chief Minister Howard Quayle’s five year tree planting strategy.