100m trees to be planted by 2015 In a bid to cut emissions, the Scottish government has pledged to plant 100 million trees by 2015 – increasing Scotland's forest area by 3.7 percent.

Scotland aims to reduce carbon emissions by 42 percent on 1990 levels by 2020, which is more than double the official EU target (20 percent) and six percent higher than the UK target of 34 percent.

On the initiative, climate change minister Stewart Stevenson said: "Greater forest cover will help cut emissions through either directly absorbing CO2 or by providing more sustainable materials for construction and renewable energy.

"As a nation we are determined to make progress and achieve our target to reduce emissions by 42 percent by 2020, while at the same time contributing to other objectives such as food security."

The drive is part of a larger project by the Climate Group States and Regions to persuade other states and self-governing regions to 'plant a tree for everyone on the planet'.

According to the Scottish government's calculations, planting 100 million trees over five years is the equivalent of planting 10,000 hectares per year, which is an increase on the average of 7,000 hectares per year planted during 1998-2009.

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