Scotland’s environment minister Roseanna Cunningham says reports of a big government sell-off of Forestry Commission forests will not affect Scotland.
The minister was responding to a news article in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph which said UK environment secretary Caroline Spelman was planning to announce a sale of up to 50% – 748,000ha – of the Forestry Commission’s estate.
The article speculated that a sell-off would lead to an expansion of commercial logging operations in Britain, as well as recreational and leisure activities in forests.
Ms Cunningham described the report as “very unhelpful and totally misleading”.
“They are raising fears unnecessarily for the Scottish forestry industry and for the Commission’s staff working in Scotland.
“Forestry is a devolved matter and has been for a number of years now. That means any decisions affecting the future of Scotland’s national forests do not lie with Westminster but with Scottish ministers. There is no review of Forestry Commission Scotland.”
She has written to her counterparts in England and Wales, suggesting they meet soon to discuss the implications of the government’s review, which she described as concerning.
The Forestry Commission escaped being axed in the government’s recent cutting of quangos, but the organisation was scheduled for substantial reform, with more details to be fleshed out during the autumn.
