The economic importance of forest research has been stressed to a parliamentary select inquiry by ConFor chief executive Stuart Goodall.
There is a proposal to cut government spending on forest research, in line with cuts at the Department of Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). But Mr Goodall told members of the Science and Technology Select Inquiry that this approach was crude and that expenditure on forest research was modest and the proposed cut could be made from within Defra’s departmental budget. He also said it should be able to access Research Council budgets more easily.
“Forestry is under threat from pests and diseases and there is vital research work required to support areas such as responding to climate change, tree breeding and the properties of wood,” he said. “There is real concern in the sector that proposed cuts to forest research will undermine this activity at a crucial time.”
Mr Goodall also said that research on the economics of forestry had declined and was now “out of kilter with growing realisation that the financial sustainability of forestry was key to the delivery of other benefits”.
“There’s a real opportunity to build on the growing market and rising price for wood to encourage owners of under-managed forests to bring them into sustainable management, delivering carbon, green jobs and biodiversity benefits,” he said.
