Ministers plan huge sell-off of Britain's forests

Sun Oct 24 19:33:25 BST 2010

Stop Caroline Splelman... The Forests Are Ours!

Ministers plan huge sell-off of Britain's forests
Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, is 
expected to announce plans within days to dispose 
of about half of the 748,000 hectares of woodland 
overseen by the Forestry Commission by 2020.
The controversial decision will pave the way for 
a huge expansion in the number of Center 
Parcs-style holiday villages, golf courses, 
adventure sites and commercial logging operations 
throughout Britain as land is sold to private companies.
Legislation which currently governs the treatment 
of "ancient forests" such as the Forest of Dean 
and Sherwood Forest is likely to be changed 
giving private firms the right to cut down trees.
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Ministers plan huge sell-off of Britain's forests
Ministers are planning a massive sell-off of 
Britain's Government-owned forests as they seek 
to save billions of pounds to help cut the 
deficit, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/countryside/8082756/Ministers-plan-huge-sell-off-of-Britains-forests.html

By Patrick Hennessy and Rebecca Lefort
Published: 8:30PM BST 23 Oct 2010

Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, is 
expected to announce plans within days to dispose 
of about half of the 748,000 hectares of woodland 
overseen by the Forestry Commission by 2020.

The controversial decision will pave the way for 
a huge expansion in the number of Center 
Parcs-style holiday villages, golf courses, 
adventure sites and commercial logging operations 
throughout Britain as land is sold to private companies.

Legislation which currently governs the treatment 
of "ancient forests" such as the Forest of Dean 
and Sherwood Forest is likely to be changed 
giving private firms the right to cut down trees.

Laws governing Britain's forests were included in 
the Magna Carta of 1215, and some date back even earlier.

Conservation groups last night called on 
ministers to ensure that the public could still 
enjoy the landscape after the disposal, which 
will see some woodland areas given to community 
groups or charitable organisations.

However, large amounts of forests will be sold as 
the Department for the Environment Food and Rural 
Affairs (Defra) seeks to make massive budget 
savings as demanded in last week's Spending Review.

Whitehall sources said about a third of the land 
to be disposed of would be transferred to other 
ownership before the end of the period covered by 
the Spending Review, between 2011 and 2015, with 
the rest expected to go by 2020.

A source close to the department said: "We are 
looking to energise our forests by bringing in 
fresh ideas and investment, and by putting 
conservation in the hands of local communities."

Unions vowed to fight the planned sell-off. Defra 
was one of the worst-hit Whitehall departments 
under the Spending Review, with Ms Spelman losing 
around 30 per cent of her current £2.9 billion annual budget by 2015.

The Forestry Commission, whose estate was valued 
in the 1990s at £2.5 billion, was a quango which 
was initially thought to be facing the axe as 
ministers drew up a list of arms-length bodies to be culled.

However, when the final list was published 
earlier this month it was officially earmarked: 
"Retain and substantially reform  details of 
reform will be set out by Defra later in the 
autumn as part of the Government's strategic approach to forestry in England."

A spokesman for the National Trust said: 
"Potentially this is an opportunity. It would 
depend on which 50 per cent of land they sold 
off, if it is valuable in terms of nature, 
conservation and landscape, or of high commercial value in terms of logging.

"We will take a fairly pragmatic approach and 
look at each sale on a case by case basis, making 
sure the land goes to the appropriate 
organisations for the right sites, making sure 
the public can continue to enjoy the land."

Mark Avery, conservation director for the Royal 
Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said: 
"You can understand why this Government would 
think 'why does the state need to be in charge of 
growing trees', because there are lots of people 
who make a living from growing trees.

"But the Forestry Commission does more than just 
grow trees. A lot of the work is about looking after nature and landscapes."

"We would be quite relaxed about the idea of some 
sales, but would be unrelaxed if the wrong bits 
were up for sale like the New Forest, Forest of 
Dean or Sherwood Forest, which are incredibly 
valuable for wildlife and shouldn't be sold off.

"We would look very carefully at what was 
planned. It would be possible to sell 50 per cent 
if it was done in the right way."

A Defra spokesman said: "Details of the 
Government's strategic approach to forestry will 
be set out later in the autumn.

"We will ensure our forests continue to play a 
full role in our efforts to combat climate 
change, protect the environment and enhance 
biodiversity, provide green space for access and 
recreation, alongside seeking opportunities to 
support modernisation and growth in the forestry sector."

Allan MacKenzie, secretary of the Forestry 
Commission Trade Unions, said: "We will oppose 
any land sale. Once we've sold it, it never comes back.

"Once it is sold restrictions are placed on the 
land which means the public don't get the same 
access to the land and facilities that are 
provided by the public forest estate.

"The current system means a vast amount of people 
can enjoy forests and feel ownership of them. It 
is an integral part of society."

In 1992 John Major's Conservative government  
also looking to save money in a recession  drew 
up plans to privatise the Forestry Commission's 
giant estate, which ranges from huge conifer 
plantations to small neighbourhood woodlands.

John Gummer, then the Agriculture Minister, wrote 
to cabinet colleagues saying that he 'wanted to 
raise money and get the forest estate out of the 
private sector'. Mr Major backed the sell- off 
which, it was hoped, would raise £1 billion.

However it was later abandoned following a study 
by a group of senior civil servants, amid widespread public opposition.

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