The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has welcomed a new Efra Select Committee Report which recognises the importance of forestry and the need for continued Government support throughout Brexit and beyond.
The report – Forestry in England: Seeing the wood for the trees – is an important reminder of the contribution of forestry to our landscapes, environment and economy, says the CLA, which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses.
Robin Edwards, South East Regional Director at the CLA, said:
“Forestry is an important feature of our landscapes, especially in the South East, where we have around 310,000 hectares of woodland. It makes a vital contribution to our economy and plays a critical role in meeting our environmental objectives.
“We can do better to ensure we have enough well managed and profitable forestry in the UK, and we are pleased the Committee has agreed with us that Brexit is an opportunity to guarantee that supporting it, alongside agriculture, is a policy priority.
“We are also pleased to see that the Committee has added its voice to ours in calling for the streamlining of funding bodies for forestry, and that it has recognised the importance of forestry to the economy and environment, as on a level with agriculture. We support the Committee’s view that a single administrative body would be better able to ensure that woodland across England is managed to the UK Forestry Standard.”
The report’s key recommendations include:
- Streamlining the administration of the forestry Countryside Stewardship Scheme, this is currently administered by 3 organisations – the RPA, Natural England, and the Forestry Commission
- Making certain the dual benefits of forestry and agriculture are recognised, in creating a post-Brexit land use policy
- That the Government should provide certainty on how it will fill the gap in forestry research funding after the UK leaves the European Union.
The CLA’s evidence to the Efra Select Committee can be read here.
The Report, Forestry in England: Seeing the wood for the trees can be read here.
