The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. It was set up in 1919 to expand Britain's forests and woodland after depletion during the First World War. To do this the commission bought large amounts of former agricultural land, eventually becoming the largest land owner in Britain.

Over time the purpose of the Commission broadened to include many other activities beyond timber production. One major activity is scientific research, carried out at several designated "research forests" across Britain. Recreation is also important, with several outdoor activities being actively promoted. Protecting and improving biodiversity within Britain's forests are both part of the Forestry Commission's remit.

Role[link]

The Forestry Commission manages almost one million hectares of land in Great Britain, making it the country's biggest land manager.^[2] The majority of the land (60%) is in Scotland, 26% of the landholding is in England and the remainder in Wales.^[3] Some of Britain's best-loved and most spectacular landscapes are in its care. Activities carried out on the forest estate include maintenance and improvement of the natural environment and the provision of recreation, timber harvesting to supply domestic industry, regenerating brownfield and replanting of harvested areas.

Afforestation was the main reason for the creation of the commission in 1919. Britain had only 5% of its original forest cover left and the government at that time wanted to create a strategic resource of timber. Since then forest area has more than doubled and the remit of the commission is much more focused on sustainable forest management and maximising public benefits.

The Forestry Commission is also the government body responsible for the regulation of private forestry (felling is generally illegal without first obtaining a licence from the Commission)^[4] and for encouraging new planting. Part of this role is carried out by providing grants in support of private forests and woodlands.

A Panoramic in the north-east of Bucknell Wood, part of Whittlewood Forest

History[link]

The Forestry Commission was established as part of the Forestry Act 1919.^[5] The board was initially made up of eight forestry commissioners and was chaired by Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat from 1919 to 1927.^[6] The commission was set up to increase the amount of woodland in Britain by buying land for afforestation and reforestation.^[5] The commission was also tasked with promoting forestry and the production of timber for trade.^[7] During the 1920s the Commission focused on acquiring land to begin planting out new forests; much of the land was previously used for agricultural purposes.^[5] During the Great Depression the Forestry Commission's estate continued to grow so that it was just over 900,000 acres of land by 1934.^[5] The low cost of land, and the need to increase timber production meant that by 1939 the Forestry Commission was the largest landowner in Britain.^[8]

At the outbreak of the Second World War the Forestry Commission was split in to the Forest Management Department, to continue with the Commission's duties, and the Timber Supply Department to produce enough timber for the war effort.^[5] This division lasted until 1941, when the Timber Supply Department was absorbed by the Ministry of Supply.^[9] Much of the timber supplied for the war came from the New Forest and the Forest of Dean.^[5] The war also saw the Commission introduce the licensing system for tree felling.^[5] By the end of the war approximately a third of available timber had been cut down and used.^[8]

The advisory committee on Forest Research was formed in 1929 to guide the research efforts of the Forestry Commission.^[10] After the war, the Commission began to increase its research output significantly.^[5] This included the establishment of three research stations beginning with Alice Holt Lodge in 1946.^[11] The expansion in research accompanied a significant increase in timber sales, exceeding £2 million per year during the 1950s.^[5]

The Countryside Act of 1968 required public bodies, including the Forestry Commission, to "have regard to the desirability of conserving the natural beauty and amenity of the countryside."^[12] This forced the Commission to focus on conservation and recreation as well as the production and sale of timber. The conservation effort was partly driven by Peter Garthwaite^[13] and Sylvia Crowe. Crowe also helped the Commission landscape their forests to make them more appropriate for recreational use.^[5]

Having begun to develop campsites within their forests during the early 1960s,^[14] the Commission set up a Forest Cabins Branch during the 1970s to expand the number of cabins available for the public to stay in during their holidays.^[5] In 1970 the Commission opened its Northern research station in Roslin.^[15] The 1970s also saw the publication of a Treasury report which stated "afforestation ... and replanting fell far short of achieving the official 10% return on investment" with concerns over the long term profitability of timber production.^[8] This was coupled with a major outbreak of Dutch elm disease throughout the decade.^[5]

The early 1980s recession forced the Forestry Commission to expand its sales beyond Britain, exports quickly reached 500,000 tonnes of timber per year.^[5] The Forestry Act 1981 allowed the sale of Commission land that was used for forestry.^[16] By 1986 there were calls for the full privatisation of the Forestry Commission and its estate.^[17][18] The Great Storm of 1987 caused significant damage to Commission owned forests, though most of the downed trees were recovered and eventually sold.^[19]

The early 1990s saw the Department of Forestry absorb the Forest Authority from the Commission, which had previously acted as a separate government department.^[9] The management of the forest estate became the responsibility of Forest Enterprise, making up a major part of the reduced Forestry Commission.^[20] In 1993 it was again suggested that the Forestry Commission could be privatised, sparking protest from many conservation groups.^[9][21] After the Forestry Review Group produced their report in 1994, it was announced by the government that "Forestry Commission woodlands will remain in the public sector".^[9]

Devolution meant the Forestry Commission had to report to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly as well as the national Government. This was achieved by splitting responsibility for forests by national borders, resulting in the creation of Forestry Commission England, Scotland and Wales as sub-departments of the Forestry Commission of Great Britain.^[22] The decline in timber sales since the mid-1990s forced the Commission to focus on research and recreation more than ever before, something that was encouraged by the Government.^[8]As a result the Forestry Commission began to expand woodland around urban areas for the first time.^[8]

In October 2010, the Government introduced the Public Bodies Bill to The House of Lords,^[23] which would have enabled the Secretary of State to sell or lease public forests in England.^[24][25] According to The Guardian, "the news [was] met with near-universal disgust and shock".^[26] The same newspaper also quoted Caroline Lucas MP, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, as saying it was an "unforgivable act of environmental vandalism". An online petition opposing the sale received more than 537,000 signatories.^[27] In February 2011, after a sustained campaign of protest by groups such as the Ramblers and Hands off our Forest, the government announced it had abandoned its current plans and would remove the forestry clauses from the Public Bodies Bill. An 'independent panel' was also established to advise on the future direction of forestry and woodland policy in England, and on the role of the Forestry Commission.^[28][29][30] The panel's interim report in late 2011 suggested that the government had ignored the benefits of publicly owned forests.^[31]

Organisational structure[link]

A Board of Commissioners governs the organisation. The board is made up of a chairperson and up to ten Forestry Commissioners. The Director General (also the director of the Forestry Commission England)^[32] and the directors of the Scottish and Welsh Forestry Commissions make up three of these Commissioners. The Director General is appointed by the Queen. An Executive Board works with the three directors to manage the Commission as a whole.

Since 2003 there have been separate Forestry Commissions for England, Scotland and Wales. This division assists the Commission with reporting to, and acting on the policies of, the devolved authorities. Cross-border issues can be dealt with by the Forestry Commission as a whole. Each Commission has a director who sits on the Board of Commissioners of the Forestry Commission as a whole. These directors are part of their own National Committees, which oversee the implementation of policies as they relate to the devolved authorities.^[32]

Research division[link]

Forest Research is the research agency of the Forestry Commission that undertakes scientific research and surveys. Its core roles are to provide the evidence base for UK forestry practices and to identify methods for sustainable forestry management.

There are three forest research stations run by Forest Research.^[33] A research station is located in each of the constituent countries of Great Britain: Alice Holt in England; the Northern research station in Scotland and the smaller Aberystwyth Research Unit in Wales.^[33] The Alice Holt research station was the Commission's first research station, built in 1946;^[11] it is the main research station of Forest Research.^[34]The Northern research station in Midlothian was opened in 1970.^[15] In 2009, a smaller research unit was established in Aberystwyth.^[35]

Forest Research's Technical Services Unit is run from the Northern Research Station and maintains a network of five field stations to conduct research for the Forestry Commission and other organisations.^[36] The Technical Services Unit is also responsible for six satellite stations and the research station nurseries.^[36]

In 2006, Forest Research made Alice Holt forest the first research forest in Britain.^[37]

Recreation[link]

The Forestry Commission is the largest provider of outdoor recreation in Britain.^[38] It works with many user groups to promote the use of its land for recreation such as hillwalking, cycling, mountain biking and horseback riding. There are many such projects throughout Britain. A notable and successful example is its 7stanes project in Scotland where seven purpose built areas of man-made mountain bike trails have been laid and has proved very popular. Another project to promote the use of its land is Music in the Forest, an annual series of live music concerts featuring well known bands.

Biodiversity[link]

Britain's forests are a great habitat and species resource. Biodiversity conservation is an integral part of sustainable forestry, the Government's approach to which is detailed in The UK Forestry Standard and supporting Guidelines. The Forestry Commission contributes to the UKBAP by helping to deliver habitat and species action plans, notably, it has a lead role in taking forward the Native Woodland Habitat Action Plans. The aim is to enhance the nature conservation value of all our forests and safeguard special habitats. A series of Biodiversity Briefing Notes^[39] provide background on the UKBAP process and its relevance to forestry, and describes how the Forestry Commission is contributing.

Forests[link]

Timber harvesting at Kielder

Some of the forests managed by the Forestry Commission are:

Criticism[link]

The Forestry Commission's early afforestation schemes were reliant on conifers, which usually grow to the same height and have a very dark colour. This led to criticism that the forests appeared too artificial.^[42] The Commission was originally given land with low soil quality, usually in highland areas; conifers were used because they can grow in these difficult conditions.^[43] By the 1960s these trees were almost fully grown and the Forestry Commission received a large number of complaints that they were an eyesore.^[44]

Since then, landscape improvement has been a key feature of the Forestry Commission's work. All forests are covered by a Forest Design Plan, which aims to balance the different objectives of timber production, landscape amelioration, ecological restoration, recreation provision and other relevant objectives. Forest management is a long term business, with plans frequently extending for a minimum of twenty-five or thirty years into the future.

Whilst early plantations were criticised for their lack of diversity, the Forestry Commission has been steadily improving the value of its woodlands for wildlife. The large blocks of conifer associated with the earlier plantings were beneficial to some species such as siskin, goldcrest, crossbill, most members of the tit family, long-eared owls, nightjars, roe deer, pine martens and polecats, but the greater emphasis on diversity now favours a much wider range of species, including broadleaved and open ground specialist species.

See also[link]

• The Big Tree Plant
• Community Forests in England
• English Lowlands beech forests
• List of Forestry Commission land on the Isle of Wight
• SEARS (Scotland's Environmental and Rural Services) of which Forestry Commission Scotland is a member
• International Year of Forests

References[link]

External links[link]

• Forestry Commission website
• History of the Forestry Commission
• Forest Research
• The Forestry Commission and the sale of public forests in England - House of Commons Library briefing

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