“...<strong>state</strong> forests shouldhelp to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> ruralcommunities...”At the Earth Summit <strong>in</strong>Johannesburg <strong>in</strong> August 2002,the ‘<strong>UK</strong> Partnership for Action’,which <strong>in</strong>cludes the <strong>UK</strong>Government, the devolvedadm<strong>in</strong>istrations, the <strong>forestry</strong><strong>in</strong>dustry and environmentalgroups, published details <strong>of</strong> anaction programme to promotesusta<strong>in</strong>able development <strong>in</strong> the<strong>forestry</strong> sector at home and<strong>in</strong>ternationally. This will buildon the <strong>UK</strong>’s experience <strong>of</strong>partnership work<strong>in</strong>g to takeaction on:• <strong>Forest</strong> certification• Illegal logg<strong>in</strong>g•Timber procurement• <strong>Forest</strong> protection• <strong>Forest</strong> restoration• Promotion programmecommunity analyses and <strong>in</strong>creased supportgiven to local communities could help buildsuch partnerships, which are alreadyspread<strong>in</strong>g beyond traditional forest uses tomounta<strong>in</strong> bik<strong>in</strong>g and pop concerts.• Support<strong>in</strong>g a susta<strong>in</strong>able ruraleconomy: <strong>state</strong> forests should help toma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> rural communities; however, thiswill need new strategies and approaches.Although wood production has more thandoubled s<strong>in</strong>ce the 1970s and cont<strong>in</strong>ues to<strong>in</strong>crease, this has been <strong>of</strong>fset by a decl<strong>in</strong>e<strong>in</strong> timber prices. Furthermore,mechanisation has reduced employment <strong>in</strong>forest management. Today more peoplederive <strong>in</strong>come from other activitiesdependent on forests and woodlands,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g tourism, recreation, high-qualitycarpentry, sale <strong>of</strong> wild foods, pheasantrear<strong>in</strong>gand shoot<strong>in</strong>g. State <strong>forestry</strong> mustwork hard with partners <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> theseactivities to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> and <strong>in</strong>crease levels <strong>of</strong>employment, while aim<strong>in</strong>g to support andmanage other uses. State <strong>forestry</strong> couldcontribute by develop<strong>in</strong>g strategies to ensurethe susta<strong>in</strong>ability <strong>of</strong> harvest <strong>of</strong> m<strong>in</strong>or forestproducts, development <strong>of</strong> wood as an energysource, recreational uses and encouragement <strong>of</strong>multi-purpose woodland management.and they should work <strong>in</strong> partnership withother organisations to make a substantivedifference to people’s environments andquality <strong>of</strong> life.• Beyond certification: <strong>Forest</strong> Enterprisehas undertaken the largest s<strong>in</strong>gle FSCcertification <strong>in</strong> the world to date, cover<strong>in</strong>gits entire forest e<strong>state</strong>. It has jo<strong>in</strong>ed the<strong>WWF</strong> 95+Group and committed to promotegood forest management and certificationand <strong>in</strong>creased trade <strong>in</strong> credibly certifiedproducts. <strong>The</strong> new agencies should providea leadership <strong>role</strong> <strong>in</strong> promot<strong>in</strong>g forestcertification at the national level, and<strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g the access to and uptake <strong>of</strong>credible certification by small forestowners, ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g its certification to the<strong>UK</strong>WAS and promot<strong>in</strong>g responsible timberand paper procurement by the publicsector. At the same time, as outl<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> theproposals above, it needs to look beyondcertification to how forest managementmight cont<strong>in</strong>ue to improve <strong>in</strong> the future,particularly with respect to forestlandscape restoration and approaches thataddress the whole forest landscape.18• Urban renewal: <strong>Forest</strong> Enterprise hasdemonstrated its ability to develop newcommunity woodlands close to people <strong>in</strong>disadvantaged communities <strong>in</strong> despoiledlandscapes. Recent work <strong>in</strong> the South Walesvalleys, major demonstration projects <strong>in</strong>Thames Chase, Red Rose and the MerseyCommunity <strong>Forest</strong>s <strong>in</strong> England, and somepilot activity <strong>in</strong> the Central Scotland<strong>Forest</strong>, have clearly shown what can beachieved both <strong>in</strong> the creation <strong>of</strong> newwoodlands and through the active <strong>in</strong>terestand participation <strong>of</strong> local people <strong>in</strong> some <strong>of</strong>Brita<strong>in</strong>’s most disadvantaged communities.<strong>The</strong> <strong>state</strong> forest agencies should be given aclear mandate and the necessary resources,“<strong>The</strong> new agencies shouldprovide a leadership <strong>role</strong><strong>in</strong> promot<strong>in</strong>g forestcertification at thenational level...”
How do we movefrom vision toreality?<strong>The</strong> opportunity exists for the three new<strong>state</strong> forest agencies to play a def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>role</strong><strong>in</strong> shap<strong>in</strong>g a forest landscape <strong>in</strong> England,Scotland and Wales that is <strong>of</strong> a higherquality than at any time dur<strong>in</strong>g the previoustwo or three millennia – with implicationsfor Brita<strong>in</strong>, Europe and, through example, forthe whole world. Careful stewardship andcont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g timber sales can help to fund thisprocess. But they cannot supply all thenecessary resources, particularly <strong>in</strong> thecurrent economic conditions, and theagencies need to be seen as more than justa commercial enterprise. <strong>The</strong>y need a clearpolitical mandate, more and differentlytra<strong>in</strong>ed staff, more fund<strong>in</strong>g and more land(or access to land through partnershipagreements). A major period <strong>of</strong> change hasstarted; it now needs the political back<strong>in</strong>gand resources to complete the process.An <strong>in</strong>vestment comparable to that made, withpopular acclaim, <strong>in</strong> the Tate Modern Gallerycould transform the forested landscapes <strong>of</strong>England, Scotland and Wales.19
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