"Enormous" cuts to forestry will "torpedo" Scotland's chances of meeting its climate targets, Woodland Trust Scotland and Confor have said.
The conservation charity and timber industry body have condemned proposals for a "massive" 41% cut in the funding to support woodland creation and management through the Forestry Grant Scheme.
Scottish Forestry is facing cuts of more than £32 million from its grant budget following the Budget announcement by Finance Secretary Shona Robison last month.
Read more: Scotland's woodland planting programme hits logjam
Alastair Seaman, director of Woodland Trust Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government must remember that warm words won’t stop climate change or restore nature.
"We need investment in new woodland – and fast – if we are to have any hope of a strong economy and a healthy landscape in the years to come.
“Creating new woodland and protecting what we’ve already got is one of the simplest and most effective responses we have to the climate and nature crises. It makes no sense to pull the rug out from under the sector in this way.
“On behalf of the thousands of members from both organisations who are committed to increasing planting in Scotland we are calling on members of the Rural Affairs Committee to recommend to the Cabinet Secretary that these proposed cuts are reversed.”
Confor CEO Stuart Goodall said: “The Scottish Government has increased its woodland creation targets annually as a key element of Scotland's commitment to be net zero by 2045, and we applaud that ambition.
Read more: Scotland's climate change happening faster than predicted
"The amount of new woodland created has fallen over each of the last five years however. This proposed cut will only serve to make the gap between targets and delivery even wider. A bad situation will become worse.”
Confor and Woodland Trust understand more than 14,000 hectares of new woodland creation has been approved for this year, but said the reduced funding will only support around 9,000 hectares.
For comparison, the pitch at Murrayfield Stadium is around one hectare.
There has been a significant investment from the public, private sector, and charities in people, young trees and equipment in recent years, the organisations said.
But a cut of the scale proposed will lead to job losses in struggling rural areas, destruction of millions of young trees and a blow to sector confidence that will take a long time to recover, Confor and the Woodland Trust Scotland said.
Responding to these concerns, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said Scotland is facing the "most challenging budget settlement" since devolution.
Read more: Scottish Budget: Major job losses as axe falls on public services
She said: “However, I remain fully committed to maximising the contribution that forestry makes in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and to generating growth for the Scottish economy.
“Although Scottish Forestry has a reduced budget for woodland creation, we will work with the forest industries to maximise what resources we have to support them – meetings have already taken place to look at options.
“This funding support will not allow us to reach next year’s target, but it will still help create over 9,000 ha of new woodland. Putting this in context, it will still allow Scotland to create more woodland than the rest of the UK combined. And that benefits everyone in the UK, not just in Scotland.
“We all now need to focus on getting as much woodland created and trees planted within our means. We currently have record approvals for new woodland schemes and we need to concentrate in turning as many of these schemes into trees in the ground."
Ms Gougeon said she would continue to work closely with Scottish Forestry and the woodland sectors to work out "how best to maximise the benefit" from allocated funding for the economy, people and nature.
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