Forestry Commission

The Forestry Commission , founded in 1919, is a non-ministerial government department in Great Britain. It is the competent authority for forestry and has the task of protecting and expanding the forest and increasing its value for society and the environment.

task

The Forestry Commission manages 7,720 km² of land in Great Britain . With around 60% of the total area, most of this land is in Scotland . Another 26% of the land is in England and the remaining 14% in Wales . The tasks of the Forestry Commission include the wood harvest to supply the local timber industry , reforestation , the care of the forests and the improvement or monitoring of their environmental status and their regenerative capacity. It is supposed to ensure the recreational function of the forest and is also the competent authority for the supervision and regulation of forestry in Great Britain. In this context, it can award subsidies to private forest owners.

structure

The organization consists of a Board of Commissioners . The tasks of the individual members of this body are laid down in a statute. In the Forestry Act they are summarized as: 1. promoting forestry interests, 2. promoting afforestation, 3. producing wood and 4. supplying the wood industry.

The directorate consists of a chairman and up to ten other commissioners including the director general . They are appointed by the king or queen on the proposal of the responsible minister - currently by Queen Elizabeth II. The representatives of this directorate meet at least four times a year to discuss the long-term goals and plans for forest and forestry development. You are legally obliged to find a balance between the production of wood and forest conservation. This roughly corresponds to the sustainability concept in German forestry. Panel reports are sent independently to the Minister in Westminster, England, the Scottish Minister in Edinburgh and the Welsh Parliament for their respective areas of responsibility.

Another executive board (executive directorate) is assigned to assist the general director and county directors (regional directors). It is responsible for developing plans according to the requirements of the Board of Commissioners and for carrying out day-to-day business.

With effect from April 1, 2003, the Forestry Commission has been divided into separate divisions for England, Scotland and Wales. This structural change should make it possible to adapt more precisely to the policies of the individual state governments and still be able to work across national borders under a common roof. The Forestry Commission in each country is run by a director who also represents it on the Great Britain Board of Commissioners .

Forest Research

Forest Research - the research agency of the Forestry Commission - carries out forestry research for the whole of Great Britain. This research institute is divided into the Alice Holt Research Station, Northern Research Station and the Aberystwyth Research Unit. The agency is comparable with the forest research institutes in Germany, to which u. a. the Northwest German Forest Research Institute belongs. It provides scientific information on the forest and its development as well as on sustainable forest management.

Forest recreation

The Forestry Commission is the UK's largest provider of outdoor activities. She works with various groups to promote the use of the land for recreational purposes, such as hiking, cycling or horse riding. There are currently many such projects in the UK. In the United Kingdom, the successful 7stanes project in Scotland is best known. It includes seven mountain bike trails and is very popular. Another project is the Forest Tour , a music festival.

Woods

Some of the forests managed by the Forestry Commission:

Forest structure

The absolute majority of the forest areas is dominated by coniferous forest, only slightly more than 90,000 hectares of the total of 772,000 hectares consist of deciduous forest areas.

Referencing

Web links

[1] Forest Statistics - forest areas

[2] ttp://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-5UWHXL

[3] ttp://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-5UWJHD

[4] ttp://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-7XQF5B

[5] Forest Statistics - Forest Recreation