§ Lord Kilbrackenasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether estimates of the worldwide supply and demand of hardwood timber in the coming decades give cause for concern; and if so, whether they will take further steps to stimulate the planting of hardwood trees.
The Earl of DundeeConcern over the continuing decline in tropical forest cover was expressed at the Ninth World Forestry Congress in Mexico City in 1985. Many countries, including the United Kingdom, declared that they would support a programme under the auspices of the Food and Agricultural Organisation to tackle the problem. The United Kingdom has also joined the International Tropical Timber Agreement, entered into by major producer and consumer countries, and intends to play an active part in its operation. One of the objectives of the agreement is to encourage the development of policies aimed at sustainable utilisation and conservation of tropical forests.
As regards the planting of hardwood trees in this country, the Forestry Commission introduced a Broadleaved Woodland Grant Scheme on 1st October 1985 which offers significantly higher rates of grants for the use of broadleaved species on their own. This scheme has had an encouraging start, with over 3,100 applications being received in the first year. These covered nearly 23,000 hectares, both of existing broadleaved woodland and of land proposed for new planting.