Woodland better off in private hands

A queue of potential purchasers has been thwarted by the Government’s decision to abandon its forest sell-off plans, according to Lodders Solicitors in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Helen Gough, a lawyer in the agricultural department, said smaller pockets of woodland could have been better off in private hands.

And she revealed how clients had been keen to take advantage of the proposed changes.

Noting that around 80 per cent of the UK’s 2.85 million hectares of woodland was already privately owned, she charged: "This is a major opportunity wasted."

The proposals to offload 258,000 hectares of public forest estate to companies, communities and charities had met with protests and criticism from conservation groups and the wider public and more than 500,000 people signed an online petition against the move.

The policy would have raised £250 million.

Miss Gough said the U-turn had been "very disappointing".

She went on: "The private sector was gearing itself up for this – we certainly had several clients who were eager to purchase in the Midlands.

"It is a pity the market has not at least been tested and potential buyers been given the chance to state their case and offer re-assurances."

Miss Gough maintained the public had been largely misled.

She blamed "misrepresentation" in the media of what the Government were actually proposing and why.

"Despite widespread and scare-mongering claims to the contrary, sales would not have meant that public rights of way were lost as any buyer would have bought the land subject to such rights."

Miss Gough acknowledged that ’heritage’ sites such as the Forest of Dean and Wyre Forest should remain sacrosanct.

However there were plenty of pockets of smaller woodland which would have benefited from being sold off.

"Private individuals tend to look after woodland more proactively as they have a vested interest in doing so."

There are also sound environmental reasons why in fact it would have been wiser to have allowed an increase in private sector holdings. It is important to take out older trees and thin others to ensure proper regeneration. Efficient operation methods could enable private woodland owners to increase the UK’s production of timber without having a negative effect on the woodland or the environment. At present about 80 per cent of wood used in the UK has to be imported.