Planting enough trees to cover an extra 4% of the UK in woodland could lock up a tenth of the country's predicted greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the century, according to researchers.

Planting 23,000 hectares a year - the equivalent of 30,000 football pitches - in appropriate places would involve changing the use of only 4% of land in the UK, bringing woodland cover to a total of 16% of the country's land area.

But it could make a "significant and cost-effective" contribution to meeting the UK's emissions reductions targets, under which the country has to slash its greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050, the panel of scientists said.

Forestry can be used to store carbon and be used for fuel and construction material to avoid using fossil fuels.

But carbon storage declines as younger trees - which store more carbon than older forests - mature, so tripling tree planting on current levels could help reverse those declines, the report for the Forestry Commission said.

Using wood products in construction could create the potential to store an extra 10 million tonnes of carbon in new and refurbished homes by 2019, while sustainably produced woodfuel could replace fossil fuels and save around seven million tonnes of CO2 a year within the next five years.

Professor Sir David Read, who chaired the panel, said: "By increasing our tree cover we can lock up carbon directly. By using more wood for fuel and construction materials we can make savings by using less gas, oil and coal, and by substituting sustainably produced timber for less climate-friendly materials."

The study also said trees, particularly in towns and cities, had an important role to play in helping people adapt to climate change, providing shelter, cooling and shade from rising temperatures and controlling rainwater runoff.

But foresters may have to consider planting non-native species, such as those from continental Europe, to ensure our woodlands can cope with global warming, it warned.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "Forests and trees are an important part of the way we live and interact with our surroundings, and we cannot underestimate the role that trees will play in reducing our carbon emissions. Greater forest cover can help us achieve this either through directly absorbing C02 or by providing more sustainable materials for construction and renewable energy."