The government’s plan to sell Forestry Commission productive forests in England via 150-year leases has been described as a “recipe for disaster” by a leading forest products group.

The sale plans, outlined in the government’s public consultation on the future of the public forest estate in England published yesterday, envisage selling leases on 90,000-130,000ha of productive forests, including large parts of Kielder Forest, to the private sector.

However, the UK Forest Products Association (UKFPA) said many in the timber processing industry would be “shocked” by the plans.

“Plans for 150-year leases for forests will be of no comfort to most businesses in the sector and will simply add to uncertainties about wood supply in future.

“This is an extremely worrying situation which not only affects England, but also has serious implications for wood-using businesses in Scotland and Wales, given the realtively small size of the overall GB wood basket,” said UKFPA executive director David Sulman.

But environment minister Caroline Spelman argued that state control of forests dated back to the first world war when needs were different.

“There’s now no reason for the government to be in the business of timber production and forest management,” she added.

The government also believes the proposals would remedy the situation where the Forestry Commission is the largest commercial operator in the sector it also regulates.

The government rejected other options including an open market sale of all Forestry Commission assets to the highest bidder and has instead recommended three key proposals: leasing productive forests to commercial operators; inviting charities to buy or manage heritage or community forests; and creating opportunities for community groups to buy or lease forests.

The government has already committed to selling 15% of the public forest estate in a move intended to generate £100m. The consultation concerns the remaining 85%.

Consultation will run to April 21. For more details click here

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