Forestry Commission land to be sold off

[MartinD]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/oct/24/forests-government-heritage-private-developers

The beginning of the end for the Forestry Commission?

[Darren]

There seems to be a lot of scare mongering going on http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/countryside/8082756/Ministers-plan-huge-sell-off-of-Britains-forests.html

I don't mind if FC sales some of it's land.

[wrekin]

It's interesting that the National Trust made comments about looking at some of this land.

For owners of small woodlands, releasing lots of forestry land that is or can be subdivided could have a big (downward!) effect on the market price.

[Darren]

That can be positive if you are looking to buy, but I think depends on where the woodland is sold. I have a hunch that they be selling off mainly plantation.

[Toby Allen]

Or will they be selling off the higher cost, less profitable public amenity woods?

A good time to be in contracting I think.

There could be a goldrush scramble for land that could make a few of the larger players quite big indeed.

Does any one have any concrete information on whats proposed?

[Darren]

An announcement will be made at the end of the week

[tracy]

Grant news from FC SE. Be good to hear the updates from other areas as well....

Following on from the initial announcements of the Comprehensive Spending Review the Forestry Commission has had it confirmed by our minister that the level of grants administered by the Forestry Commission under Axis 2 of the Rural Development Plan for England (RDPE) has not been altered for the remainder of the spending round which concludes in March 2014. Therefore the news is that:

The Forestry Commission will continue to deliver the current planned levels of woodland grants under RDPE up to the end of the 2013-2014 financial year;

we are still accepting woodland creation applications for 2011/12, and farmers will be eligible to continue to have SPS eligibility on that land;

we are open for other grants with 2011/12 payment year and for grants up to March 2014;

we have a mechanism available that allows woodland owners to meet CPET Category B criteria for sustainably produced timber which includes a 10 year felling licence approval ;

we are planning to launch a Woodfuel WIG to support further roading access and specific management in under-managed woods in early 2011, owners may wish to start drawing potential projects to FC attention.

As it stands in South East England we have plenty of grants available up to 2014 in all our 6 grant types. Our 80% WIG target areas have been increased to cover all the main AONBs and the two National Parks within the south east. We are offering enhanced rates of planting grant where the new woodland provides informal public access within a Quality of Place target area and on the Isle of Wight.

Regarding bullet point 5 – grants will soon be announced which will offer owners new grants towards management in all woodland types that exhibit a lack of the appropriate levels of management and where there is clear potential to provide sustainable renewable energy for the future. This is likely to include grant towards track improvement, timber stacking, tree marking, tendering and other activity needed to present parcels of timber to the market place.

[docsquid]

Announcement has been put on DEFRA web site here

http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/news/2010/10/29/forestry/

It looks like nothing will be done rapidly, there will be consultation, and there will be protection for access, rights of way, and vulnerable species. Felling will continue to be controlled through licensing, as it is in non-FC owned land under FC management plans.

I should add "in theory..." :-)

[MartinD]

With all the mentions of 'civil society' and 'big society', it will be interesting to see how much land is transferred from 'our' ownership to some form of trust status, (Woodland Trust, National Trust, SWOG Trust etc), versus the amount of land sold to the 'private sector' / highest bidder. I suspect more of the latter, and that this will have little to do with big society.