The future for forestry in England

Defra has today published a letter sent to MPs outlining its intention to fundamentally reform the public forestry estate. You can read it here: Forestry in England: A new strategic approach

The Wildlife Trusts response to this letter:

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “The Forestry Commission owns a substantial amount of land which is of high value for wildlife. This represents a tremendous national asset. We welcome the fact that the Government will protect the most valuable and biodiverse forests. However we believe a transfer of such land should not be rushed and should not take place before a clear policy has been established. This policy should ensure that those areas of high wildlife value ­ Local Wildlife Sites as well as Sites of Special Scientific Interest ­ are secured in the long term. The best way to guarantee their future under new ownership options would be to give priority to nature conservation bodies and to ensure that sites are considered as part of a local ecological network. We have a strong partnership with the Forestry Commission which we hope will continue, so we can make the most of our strong local presence.”

Dorset Wildlife Trust would also like to add that as well as giving priority to conservation bodies, there will need to be funding to allow these bodies to manage for wildlife.

Stephanie Hilborne OBE,
chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts