§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is Forestry Commission policy on leaving unplanted areas of archaeological, scientific or wildlife value on Forestry Commission land; and whether the commission has a rule of thumb as to the percentage of unplanted land it will maintain in its operational forests;
(2) whether the Forestry Commission has examined the wildlife conservation value of its properties in the lowlands of England and Wales; what is the policy of the commission on leaving areas in such properties unplanted if this is seen to be in the best interests of nature conservation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe wildlife conservation value of the Forestry Commission's properties throughout Great Britain has been carefully examined in the course of drawing up conservation plans for each of its forest districts. These plans contain environmental management policies for the forests as a whole and prescriptions for sites of particular conservation value.
All well-designed forests have a proportion of open space within them for environmental as wel as practical reasons. These include not only roads and rides needed for operational purposes, but open spaces left for the protection of sites of archaeological value, the provision of deer glades, the needs of particular flora and fauna, and the development of recreation. Open spaces near water are of particular value. Since each conservation plan is tailored to the circumstances of individual sites, there is no fixed percentage of land to be left unplanted, but it is often of the order of 15 per cent. Where open space is lacking in existing forests opportunities are sought to create it at the earliest practical opportunity.
Further information is given in the four environment leaflets published recently by the Forestry Commission, copies of which are in the Library. In addition, the commission is preparing a more comprehensive booklet giving guidelines on nature conservation in forests.