§ Dr. David Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if the Forestry Commission will be producing guidance notes for its staff on its new duty under the Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act 1985;
(2) what specific changes the Forestry Commission intends to make in order to fulfil its new duty under the Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act 1985, with particular regard to achieving a reasonable balance between afforestation and timber production and landscape and wildlife conservation in the wider countryside.
§ Mr. John MacKayIt has for some years been the policy of the Forestry Commission to seek a reasonable balance between the needs of forestry and of the environment, and this was brought out in the evidence submitted by the commission to the Environment Committee of the House last year when it considered the operation and effectiveness of part II of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. The appointment by the commission of a landscape consultant and of a conservation consultant, the preparation of conservation plans to cover the commission's forests, and the review of broadleaves policy, all took place before the placing of a statutory duty on the commission by the Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act 1985.
The placing of a duty on the commission under that Act—while welcome, in that it gave statutory force to the policy of seeking the right balance—did not therefore necessitate its having to make any immediate change of course or to instruct its staff to operate in very different ways. Nevertheless, the director general of the commission wrote to all his staff, before the Act came into operation, drawing their attention to the new statutory duty and reminding them of their responsibility to act in a positive way to achieve the balance required. In addition, the commission is proposing to update its existing publications and guidance after detailed consultations with the environmental agencies and bodies most closly concerned.