HC Deb 12 December 1989 vol 163 cc558-9W
Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on progress on forestry and farm woodland planting in 1989 over 1988.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

Tree planting statistics for the private sector are normally collected and published by the Forestry Commission on the basis of grants paid in each financial year. For the financial years to 31 March 1988 and 31 March 1989, the areas of new planting so recorded were 23,821 hectares and 25,108 hectares respectively, including in the last year 126 hectares planted in association with the farm woodland scheme. In the first six months of the current financial year the figure was 11,992 hectares (including 1,681 hectares under the farm woodland scheme). By comparison, the area of new planting grant-aided in the first full planting season since the forestry tax changes introduced in the 1988 Budget, covering the year to 30 September 1989, was 15,293 hectares; included in that total were 1,825 hectares planted in association with the farm woodland scheme.

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