HC Deb 08 May 1984 vol 59 cc332-3W
Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give, for each county in England and Wales, the area of woodland cleared by felling since 1979, distinguishing between broadleaves and conifers.

Mrs. Fenner

Comprehensive information on fellings is not held centrally in this form and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The published reports of the Forestry Commission's recent census of woodland and trees do, however, show on a county basis the changes in woodland cover in England and Wales since the last complete census in 1947.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many Forestry Commission felling licences have been granted to private individuals or organisations in England during each of the last three years; and what was the total area of broadleaved and coniferous timber so felled.

Mrs. Fenner

The numbers of felling licences issued by the Forestry Commission in England during each of the last three years were as follows:

Year ended 31 March Number of licences
1982 1,099
1983 1,218
1984 1,141
Those licences which were for the clear felling of woodland are shown below together with the areas involved:
Year ended

31 March

 Number of

licences

 Areas licensed for felling

Broadleaves

hectares

 Conifers

hectares
1982 449 927 350
1983 461 922 376
1984 411 710 358

The majority of licences issued for clear felling carried replanting conditions.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give, for each county in England and Wales, the area of land newly-afforested since 1979 differentiating between coniferous and broadleaved planting.

Mrs. Fenner

Statistics relating to afforestation are maintained by the Forestry Commission's conservancy areas, as defined in section 35 of the Forestry Act 1967. To provide them by local authority areas could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the figures given in the reply of 30 April, Official Report, columns 13–14, were in hectares or acres.

Mrs. Fenner

The figures were given in hectares.