§ 40. Mr. David Jamesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will request the Forestry Commission to plant a minimum percentage of hardwoods in all future plantations.
§ Mr. PriorPractically all the land the commission acquires is in the uplands and very little of it is suitable for hardwoods. For this reason an arbitrary percentage would not be practicable, but my hon. Friend will be glad to know that in the management of its existing plantations the commission is laying increasing emphasis on the maintenance of hardwoods as an essential feature of the landscape.