 The Countryside Alliance welcomes recognition of the shooting community’s contribution to the economy and landscape management of Britain’s ancient woodlands. Responding to the publication today of the Independent Panel on Forestry’s Final Report, Barney White-Spunner, Executive Chairman of the Countryside Alliance, said: “Britain’s woodlands form a part of our unique national landscape which needs to be preserved and treasured and, to be viable in the long-term, woodlands need to pay for themselves."
“There are numerous examples of forests and woodlands, managed, at no cost to the public purse, by shoots and private land managers, who provide public access and recreation, local employment and contribute to the economy. These woodlands are also areas of high conservation value.”
The Final Report specifically recognises that: “shooting in woodlands is estimated to account for about 28,000 jobs in the UK with an approximate value of £640 million to the UK economy. The contribution to local, and especially more rural economies, may be more significant than national statistics suggest.”
Barney went on:
“Any change of ownership of the publically-owned forest estate must preserve the outstanding landscape, biodiversity character and high levels of recreational access, including country pursuits.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Independent Panel on Forestry – Final Report (published 4th July 2012)
Summary of Key Findings
Woods and forests are great places to enjoy watching wildlife, walking, riding bikes or horses, or simply playing among the trees. In the right place they are able to absorb activities such as shooting or military training, which can generate useful income for the owner.
In our report, we call on Government and other woodland owners to give as many people as possible ready access to trees and woodlands for health and well-being benefits – this means planting more trees and woodlands closer to people and incentivising more access to existing woodlands.
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In our report we call on Government to ensure that land-use creates a coherent and resilient ecological network at a landscape scale, by integrating policy and delivery mechanisms for woods, trees and forests in line with the principles in the “Making Space for Nature” report, published by the Lawton Review
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In our report, we recommend Forest Services should evolve to become a public body with duties, powers and functions to champion, protect and increase benefits from trees, woodlands and forests that are good for people, good for nature and good for the green economy.
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Only half of our woodlands are in sustainable management. We need more woodlands to be managed appropriately, as recommended in the “Making Space for Nature” report, if we are to protect and enhance our woodland wildlife. The type of management should be determined locally, depending on type, the current state and location of the woodland, the potential wildlife present and the owner’s objectives.
Managed appropriately, timber production and activities such as shooting can lead to beneficial woodland management for nature, where the landowner manages the land effectively and provides good habitats for other species.
What is clear is that wherever and whenever management takes place, it must conform to the guidance in the UK Forestry Standard as a minimum.
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Government, working in partnership with the forestry and land management sectors, should proactively offer every woodland owner advice on multi-benefit woodland management, prioritising woods greater than five hectares, with a view to increasing the area of woodland with a current UKFS compliant management plan, from around 50% to 80% of the total, over about the next ten years.
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Recommendation: Government to commit to an ambition to sustainably increase England’s woodland cover from 10% to 15% by 2060, working with other landowners to create a more wooded landscape.
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Recreation, tourism and sport are also important sources of income for forest businesses. Opportunities range from small cafes, visitor centres and mountain bike hire, through to woodland campsites and sustainable holiday destinations.
A study in 2003 found expenditure on forest-related day trips in England to be around £2 billion. Shooting in woodlands is estimated to account for about 28,000 jobs in the UK with an approximate value of £640 million to the UK economy. The contribution to local, and especially more rural economies, may be more significant than national statistics suggest. For example, it is estimated that the New Forest supports £400 million worth of tourist activity, the benefits of which are dispersed widely.
This culture and the resulting opportunities for landowners, together with the right policy, support and regulatory framework, can transform the landscape of woodland.
Substantial benefits can be gained environmentally, socially and economically.
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Recommendation: The new English public forest management organisation will have statutory duties, powers and functions, set by the legislation that creates the Charter.
These will expand on those currently placed on the Forestry Commission and Commissioners.
Its main purposes will be:
a. To sustain and maximise the public value of the estate, in terms of wildlife, access, recreation, education and cultural heritage;
b. To maximise the natural capital value and secure sustainable yields from the asset of the forest estate over the long term including by:
iv. promoting quality access to woodlands for a wide range of activities consistent with the other purposes;
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Recommendation: The new public forest management organisation should enable stakeholder consultation on its annual corporate plan. At a local level the public forest management organisation should see consultation and partnership with friends’ groups, charities, businesses and others as central to its way of working, benefiting from their experience and helping to draw in additional resources to support local projects. This could include community management and partnership agreements.
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Recommendation: The public forest estate continues to increase its cost base by increasing the benefits it delivers. High quality recreation; restored ancient woodland, heathland and other habitats; new woodlands created in places which yield the best benefits for people, nature and the economy, require capital investment and on-going expenditure, which is currently not made available. | 
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