HC Deb 16 July 1992 vol 211 cc1033-4W
Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total amount of forest as a proportion of total land mass in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) each of the other EC nations in (i) 1980 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Hector Monro

[holding answer 8 July 1992]: The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation—FAO—publishes a production yearbook which includes this information. The latest edition is the 1990 yearbook, which includes information for 1989 and 1979. but not 1980. This is given in the table.

The FAO states that great care should be taken in making comparisons between countries or over time. This is because the definition of forest land may vary between countries, which may also use different definitions in different years.

Percentage of Land Area Covered by Forest
Country 1979 1989
Belgium/Luxembourg 21 21
Denmark 12 12
France 26 27
Germany 29 30
Greece 20 20
Ireland 5 5
Italy 22 23
Netherlands 9 9
Portugal 32 32
Spain 31 31
United Kingdom 9 10