This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Integrated approach for Scottish forests
20/08/2002
Ministers have agreed the recommendations of the
Forestry Devolution Review, a wide-ranging examination of
the administrative arrangements for forestry
in post-devolution Scotland.
In particular they accepted that current arrangements
needed to be updated, but agreed that this should be
implemented by administrative action.
The aim of the changes is to achieve greater integration
of forestry with other rural policy work in England,
Scotland and Wales whilst retaining opportunities for a
collaborative approach to common issues.
Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development
Allan Wilson said:
"Forestry Ministers have agreed the recommendations of
the Forestry Devolution Review, a wide-ranging
interdepartmental review of the administrative arrangements
for forestry post-devolution, which I announced on 22
January.
"Forest Enterprise will be split into three bodies, one
of which will manage the Scottish forestry estate directly
accountable to Ministers. Together with greater integration
between the Forestry Commission's National Office for
Scotland and the Rural Affairs Department this should help
deliver the Scottish Forestry Strategy and enhance and
strengthen the wider rural policy work of the
Executive"
The changes which Ministers agreed include:
- much greater integration of policy development and
delivery between the Forestry Commission's national
offices and the rural affairs departments in Scotland,
England and Wales. This would be underpinned by
concordats worked up individually between each rural
affairs department and the relevant Forestry Commission
national office
- devolving the Forestry Commission's Forest
Enterprise agency into three bodies, charged with
managing separately the public forests in England,
Scotland and Wales
- an enhanced role for the devolved administrations
in Scotland, England and Wales in determining research
priorities, with joint approval by forestry Ministers
of the research strategy and annual research programme.
The quinquennial review of the Forest Research agency
would now proceed to its second stage
- enhanced representation from Scotland, England and
Wales on the Board of Forestry Commissioners
- a new ministerial committee, involving Ministers
from Scotland, England , Wales and Northern Ireland, to
discuss international issues and any cross-cutting
issues where collaboration would be advantageous and to
monitor the effectiveness of these new
arrangements
Scotland's national forests are managed on behalf of
Scottish Ministers by the Forestry Commission, and its
Agency Forest Enterprise. The total land area managed by FE
in Scotland is 665,000 hectares - nearly 9 per cent of
Scotland. This compare with 258,500 ha in England (2 per
cent of land area) and 130,000 ha in Wales (6 per cent of
land area). (FE land includes non-forest land like hill
tops.) Total forest areas are 1.3 m ha (Scotland); 1.1 m ha
(England), and 289,000 ha (Wales).
In 1999 as part of devolution, responsibility for
forestry was transferred to Scottish Ministers and the
National Assembly for Wales. Westminster retained
responsibility for forestry in England and for over-arching
international issues.
The Forestry Commission, while a cross-border authority,
is already directly responsible to Scottish Ministers for
its actions as regards Scotland and thus effectively part
of the administration of the Scottish Executive.