Panel warned of forest cuts dangers

Panel warned of forest cuts dangers

Budget cuts of 25 per cent to the Forestry Commission could prevent the government's Independent Forestry Panel from making achievable recommendations, Prospect has warned. Staff cuts will hamper the delivery of "the range and level of service that the public currently enjoy," the union told the panel's call for views.

Many of Prospect's 270 members conduct vital research into tree diseases and climate change, but the research arm faces 34 per cent cuts.

Prospect also raises concerns about fragmentation of the commission - one government proposals involves a single environmental body for Wales.

Prospect head of research Sue Ferns said: "Service fragmentation will impact on UK-wide functions and on research capacity and priority, public amenity, access and specialist services.

"The Forestry Commission may emerge as less than the sum of its parts."

Prospect highlights the importance of forest research over the next two decades and beyond due to changing climates, changing tree species suitability, new and aggressive pests and the need for new sivicultural management approaches.

Prospect says the potential sale of Forestry Commission land remains a worrying issue, as it has retained the right to sell 15 per cent of national forest assets each year, despite pulling back from mass privatisation of English woodland earlier this year.

"If this right is exercised for the next four years, the overall size of the National Forest remaining in 2015 would be barely 52 per cent of its current size," says the union.

It raises concerns about proposals to subsume Forest Research into Defra's Food and Environment Research Agency, warning that it would require compulsory job moves that will prove impractical for many staff, leading to the loss of technical expertise. A further objection is the longevity of many forestry projects.

You can read Prospect's full submission here.

The panel said it had received a staggering 40,000 views and extended “special thanks to 38 Degrees and all the other organisations who helped gather support for the call for views.”

The campaign group 38 Degrees gathered and submitted more than 33,000 responses. These reflected the huge public opinion against the government's attacks on the public forests.


  • 04 Aug 2011