§ Baroness Hamweeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they will take to protect forests which are currently used by very large numbers of people, and which support forestry employment and the timber industry.
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§ Lord Fraser of CarmyllieWe recognise that the woodlands provide important opportunities for access to the countryside as well as supporting forestry employment and the timber industry. We set up the Forestry Review Group to review the effectiveness of the current incentives for forestry investment, to review options for the ownership and management of Forestry Commission woodlands and to make proposals for changes which would improve the effectiveness of the delivery of the Government's forestry policy objectives, having regard to our other economic and environmental policies. We have asked the group, in preparing its advice for Ministers, to take account of many diverse benefits which forests provide.