§ Mr. Bodyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many acres of unplanted land were owned by the Forestry Commission on 1 August 1980 and on 1 August 1983.
§ Mrs. FennerThe Forestry Commission's land use statistics are collected and updated centrally on an annual basis as at 31 March. Figures for 1 August 1980 and 1 August 1983 could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
On 31 March 1980 the Forestry Commission had 372,500 hectares (920 500 acres) of unplanted land under its management. The corresponding figure for 31 March 1983 was 334 300 hectares (826,000 acres).
Unplanted land includes land which is unsuitable for growing trees, land used for agricultural purposes (mainly rough grazing), and land awaiting planting.