Britain: An official handbook > 1993

BRITAIN 1993: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
The Forestry Commission and Forestry
Policy
The Forestry Commission, established in
1919, is the national forestry authority in
Great Britain. The Commissioners give
advice on forestry matters and are responsible
to the Secretary of State for Scotland, the
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,
and the Secretary of State for Wales.
Within the Commission, reorganised in
1992, the Forestry Authority administers
felling licence procedures, provides advice to
private woodland owners, administers
payment of grants for approved planting and
restocking schemes, and liaises with local
authorities and woodland and countryside
groups. Forest Enterprise develops and
manages the Commission’s forests and
forestry estate as a multiple-use resource,
providing timber for the wood-using
industries and opportunities for recreation,
and is responsible for nature conservation and
the forest environment. A Policy and
Resources Group is responsible for
parliamentary business, policy development,
and European and international liaison.
The Commission has sold 79,000 hectares
(195,000 acres) of plantation and plantable
land since 1981 and has been asked by the
Government to dispose of a further 100,000
hectares (247,000 acres) by the end of the
century. The Commission is financed partly
by the Government and partly by receipts
from sales of timber and other produce, and
from rents.
Forestry Initiatives
The Forestry Commission and the
Countryside Commission plan to create 12
community forests (covering between 10,000
and 20,000 hectares each—40 to 80 sq miles)
on the outskirts of major cities in England.
These include the Great North Forest (Tyne
and Wear), the Forest of Mercia
(Staffordshire) and Thames Chase, east of
London. As part of its rural initiative for
Wales, the Government plans to give local
communities greater involvement in the
development of 35,000 hectares (135 sq miles)
of forest in the coalfield valleys of south
Wales—about 20 per cent of the land area—
owned by the Forestry Commission. A
Central Scotland Woodland Initiative has also
been launched. More than 6 million trees
have been planted.
Forestry Research
The Forestry Authority maintains two
principal research stations, at Alice Holt
Lodge, near Farnham (Surrey), and at Bush
Estate, near Edinburgh, for basic and applied
research into all aspects of forestry. Aid is
also given for research work in universities
and other institutions. A database on forestry
and tree-related research in Great Britain has
been compiled by the Forestry Research Co¬
ordination Committee and is updated
annually.
The Forestry Authority conducts an
annual forest health survey which monitors
the effects of air pollution and other stress
factors on a range of broadleaves and
conifers. It has increased research into
wildlife conservation and farm forestry,
including an evaluation of agroforestry
systems combining wide-spaced conifers and
broadleaves with sheep grazing. The
Government has set up an expert scientific
review group on tree health in Britain.
Forestry in Northern Ireland
The Department of Agriculture may acquire
land for afforestation and give financial and
technical assistance for private planting. The
state forest area has grown steadily since
1945. By 1992, 75,000 hectares (185,000
acres) of plantable land had been acquired, of
which 60,000 hectares (148,250 acres) were
planted. There were 16,000 hectares (39,500
acres) of privately owned forest. Some 500
professional and industrial staff work in state
forests.
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