So the Independent Panel on Forestry report has been published.
The stand out headline is that public forests should remain in public hands. But, the report goes further by calling for the public forest estate to be managed by a securely funded public body, whose remit is focussed on maximising the estate’s full value to people and wildlife. There will probably be a collective sigh of relief for anyone who loves these woodlands and wants to see greater investment so that they realise their full potential. But there is still detail to work through.
The report also called for:- Government to fully value the plethora of benefits woods and forests provide to society, and reward those who provide them. I thought that the Bishop of Liverpool was right to emphasise this point in his Today programme interview this morning.- Government and other woodland owners to give as many people as possible ready access to woodlands, for enhancing health and wellbeing. - Increasing the area of woodland cover from 10% to 15% - using the principle “the right tree in right place”- Greater protection, management and restoration of England’s woodland and associated wildlife habitats at a landscape scale. This should Include a renewed strategy for restoring some of the damaged ancient woodland and open habitats on the public forest estate. - Support for a “green” woodland economy to drive the delivery of public benefits from existing and new woods and forests- This is just a snapshot, take a look at the full report here. So, what do we think?
Our aspirations for this report were outlined here. So on face value, we have a lot to be pleased about. I was particularly pleased to see the report shining a spotlight on woodland wildlife declines and identifying some of the actions that could contribute to addressing them. If nothing changes, we could lose our woods in a different way. We could lose the diversity of wildlife that makes them so special.
In yesterday’s blog, I outlined the importance of bringing more woodland into management, and I was happy to see this is one of the central themes within the Panel’s report. It points firmly at the role of a “green” economic revival to drive the types of woodland management needed to benefit people and wildlife. If we get it right, then economic woodland management could work hand in hand with increasing woodland access, and fighting wildlife declines. However, government will need to be brave and step in with right mix of incentives and regulation to ensure that this report delivers on its “green” promises.
Next steps
This is a good start but it is now up to the government to decide how to take these recommendations forward. We understand that we may need to wait some months for this although someone has just pointed out this Defra tweet to me "We’re keeping the public forest estate in public hands, as recommended by today’s #ForestryPanel report ". The RSPB will continue to make the case that any changes must lead to greater benefits for wildlife and for people. And, we'll look more closely at the detail and share further thoughts tomorrow.
In the meantime, have a read of the report and let me know what you think.
Juniper woodland, Andy Hay (rspb-images-com)
We have just spotted this statement from the Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman...
"I am grateful to Bishop James Jones and all the Panel Members for their considerable work, detailed consideration and sound advice on the future direction of forestry and woodland policy in England. I very much welcome their Report. I would also like to thank the many groups and individuals who contributed to the Panel’s thinking in the course of their work – their role has been important.
Forests and woodlands are an important part of our heritage and future, and I want to see them make an increased contribution to the environment, economic-growth and personal wellbeing and for everyone to enjoy the many benefits they offer. We know that people feel passionately about forestry and the Panel’s report has given us a vision for how a more vibrant future for England’s woods and forests can be achieved.
The Natural Environment White Paper set out our vision which placed nature at the centre of the choices our nation must make. By properly valuing nature today, we can safeguard the natural areas that we all cherish and from which we derive vital services. We stated an ambition for a major increase in the area of woodland in England, better management of existing woodlands, and a renewed commitment to conserving and restoring ancient woodlands. The Panel’s advice will help us to achieve this. The Panel’s report shows clearly how forestry has the potential to offer more in terms of green products and green jobs, often in rural economies.
The Panel’s work will also inform the future of the Public Forest Estate, a key component of our English woodland network. I therefore agree with the Panel that the Public Forest Estate should continue to benefit from public ownership. A well managed and publicly owned estate provides the sort of public benefits we need to protect – such as access and biodiversity.
But I also agree with the IPF that the way that the Estate is cared for and managed should evolve to meet the challenges ahead of us. We need a new model that is able to draw in private finance, make best use of Government funding and a means to facilitate wider and more comprehensive community support.
The Government will now need time to properly consider the work of the Panel – we will respond more fully by January 2013 and I look forward to working with the many interested organisations in the development of this response. While we will consider our detailed response we will continue with the general suspension of sales of estate land. In the meantime, we expect the Forestry Commission to continue to manage the estate to deliver the most public benefits."