‘Quick fix’ forest sale must not threaten our natural heritage
The Wildlife Trusts urge the Government to recognise the practicalities and realities of securing the long-term protection of England’s forests for the future. They were commenting on the consultation into the sale of publicly-owned forests, a high proportion of which have wildlife value.

The transfer of ownership of these forests away from the Forestry Commission presents a real risk to the future of our natural heritage. Nature’s recovery is a key objective of the imminent Natural Environment White Paper – this could be a barrier to achieving that.

The Wildlife Trusts recognise that the consultation seeks to put some safeguards in place with Sites of Special Scientific Interest. However, the safeguards must extend to Local Wildlife Sites which represent some of our richest wildlife areas, and their importance was recognised by Making Space for Nature. The operation of market values and commercial timescales for the disposal of high value land totally fails to recognise the extreme challenge to voluntary and community bodies as they seek to raise funds to take on such sites.

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said:

“The long-term history of commercial foresty in England has not been a proud one for nature. Let’s ensure that the imperative for a quick fix sale does not take us back to an earlier era where wildlife suffered at the hands of inappropriate forestry.”