Memorandum submitted by the Forestry Commission
(N7)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Forestry Commission is the government department
responsible for advising on and implementing forestry policy in
Great Britain. It offers grants for expanding, regenerating and
managing forests, regulates tree felling and protects Britain's
forests from pests and diseases. The Commission is the largest
woodland owner in England, managing one fifth of the country's
woodlands.
Approximately 10% (115,000 hectares) of England's
woodland area is designated as SSSI, and woodland comprises 10%
of the total area of all SSSIs. Currently 71% of the woodland
SSSIs are in "favourable or recovering condition", making
it one of the better performing habitats.
The public forest estate managed by the Commission
includes 40,000 hectares of these woodland SSSIs. It also includes
26,600 hectares of other habitats, such as heathland, bog and
acid grassland. 74% of its woodland SSSIs are in favourable condition
and 66% of the non-woodland sites are in favourable condition.
Both of these figures are well above the national average.
The most common reasons for unfavourable condition
in woodland include deer browsing, livestock grazing, lack of
coppicing and the presence of conifers or other non-native species.
Over or under-grazing are also common reasons on non-woodland
habitats, with past drainage of wetland habitats also being a
major factor. Much work is in progress, often in partnership with
English Nature, to address these issues.
The Commission has adopted a performance measure
to achieve the 95% target on all sites where it has "statutory
responsibility". The target applies to all woodland SSSIs,
all SSSIs on the public forest estate, and any other SSSIs where
"forestry" is perceived to be a problem. In overall
terms, the target is relevant to 15% of all SSSIs in England.
The Commission has produced a "Delivery
Plan" for its target. The most important delivery measure
will be the new English Woodland Grant Scheme, but there is an
increasing reliance on the agri-environment schemes. Work towards
meeting the target on the public forest estate can be planned
and delivered rapidly, responsively and reliably through the use
of the established local teams. Although substantial progress
has been made through major external funding partnerships, funding
remains a constraint on the public estate.
Accordingly, the Commission has been prioritising
its work to target more resources at SSSIs. Current projections
suggest it can achieve favourable condition on 85% of the SSSIs
within its "statutory responsibility" by 2010. Meeting
the 95% will only be possible with additional resources, and it
is estimated that an extra £2 million per annum would be
needed from 2006 onwards.
INTRODUCTION
1. This memorandum sets out the role and
work of the Forestry Commission in relation to Sites of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI) generally and specifically in connection
with supporting the achievement of Defra's Public Service Agreement
(PSA) target that by 2010 95% of all nationally important wildlife
sites should be in "favourable condition".
2. The Forestry Commission is the government
department responsible for advising on and implementing forestry
policy in Great Britain. Forestry is a devolved matter and in
England the Commission reports to the Secretary of State for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs. The Commission is headed by a Board of
Commissioners, whose principal duties and powers are defined in
the Forestry Acts 1967 and 1979.
3. The Commission provides advice to Ministers,
undertakes and commissions research, sets standards for good forestry
practice. It also offers grants for expanding, regenerating and
managing forests, regulates tree felling and protects Britain's
forests from pests and diseases. Through its agency Forest Enterprise,
the Commission is the largest woodland owner in England, managing
in total around 260,000 hectares equivalent to about one fifth
of the country's woodlands.
FORESTRY POLICY,
LEGISLATION AND
SSSIS
4. The Government's aims for forestry are:
— the sustainable management of our
existing woods and forests; and
— a continued steady expansion of our
woodland area to provide more benefits for society and our environment.
5. The Government's priorities and programmes
for delivering sustainable forestry in England are set out in
its forestry strategy, A New Focus for England's Woodlands[12].
The Strategy was published in December 1998 and is based around
four inter-related programmes: Rural Development; Economic Regeneration;
Recreation, Access and Tourism; and the Environment and Conservation.
Each of the four programmes includes a range of actions that the
government plans to take over the next 5-10 years. Actions related
to biodiversity are included in the Environment and Conservation
programme. A copy of the Strategy is enclosed.
6. Woodlands also feature as one of the
five main sectors in the Government's England Biodiversity Strategy[13]
published in 2002. The Commission is leading the woodland sector
of the England Biodiversity Strategy. One of the key indicators
for delivery of the woodland programme of action is the condition
of woodland SSSIs. The Forestry Commission is also the lead partner
for the native woodland Habitat Action Plans under the UK's Biodiversity
Action Plan. These were agreed as a follow through to the commitments
made at the Earth Summit in 1993, and contain long term targets
for woodland conservation, restoration and creation.
7. There is a range of legislation relating
to biodiversity issues generally and specifically to SSSI's that
are relevant to the work of the Forestry Commission. Section 28(g)
of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) requires
public bodies, including the Commission, to take reasonable steps,
consistent with the proper exercise of their functions, to further
the conservation and enhancement of SSSIs.
WOODLAND SSSIS
8. There are 115,000 hectares of SSSIs that
are predominantly woodland ie 10% of the total area designated
as SSSIs. The "Lowland broadleaved woodland" habitat
extends to 77,000 hectares and is the fourth largest single habitat
in the SSSI series. The "Coniferous woodland" habitat
is also significant with some 23,000 hectares designated as SSSIs.
In total, approximately ten per cent of woodland in England is
designated as SSSIs. Information on the condition of SSSIs is
potentially a valuable indicator of the condition or "health"
of the wider native woodland resource.
SSSIS ON
THE PUBLIC
FOREST ESTATE
9. The public forest estate, which is owned
by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
and managed by the Forestry Commission, includes 67,000 hectares
of SSSIs (25% of the total estate area). The Commission is the
third largest manager of SSSIs in England, after English Nature
and the Ministry of Defence. This area includes two very large
SSSIs: the New Forest (27,000 hectares) and Thetford Forest [17,500
hectares]. Although woodland is the most extensive habitat, 40%
of the SSSIs on the public forest estate are actually non-woodland
habitats. Two of these non-woodland habitats are particularly
significant for the Commission. It manages nearly half the total
area of SSSIs designated as "lowland acid grassland".
It also manages 20% of the fen, marsh and swamp SSSI type. The
estate also includes a small proportion of the total area of inland
rock, bog and heath (lowland and upland types) SSSIs.
FORESTRY COMMISSION
TARGET FOR
SSSIS
10. The Commission has had a "Joint
Statement of Understanding" with English Nature for many
years. The document, which is revised periodically, provides a
framework for collaborative working, including that related to
the conservation, protection and enhancement of SSSIs. A copy
of the latest Statement is enclosed. This process has helped to
ensure that all SSSIs on the public forest estate are now managed
in accordance with plans agreed between the Commission and English
Nature.
11. As part of the 2002 Spending Review
process, the Commission established a target to bring into favourable
(or recovering) condition by 2010, 95% of all SSSIs where the
Forestry Commission has statutory responsibilities. The target
has been broken down into three main areas reflecting the range
of the Commission's statutory responsibilities.
(a) all woodland SSSIs, irrespective of ownership
(since the Forestry Commission is the lead Government body for
woodlands);
(b) all SSSIs on the public forest estate
including both woodland and non-woodland habitats;
(c) other SSSIs where "forestry"
is recorded as the reason for "unfavourable condition",
for example a conifer plantation occupying part of a lowland heath
SSSI (where the Forestry Commission has regulatory responsibilities
through the granting of felling licences and in some cases consideration
as to whether Environmental Impact Assessments may be needed for
deforestation proposals).
12. The extent of each of these, and the
current situation in respect of the target, is summarised in the
table below. The figures for both woodland generally and for the
public forest estate compare favourably with the national average
for SSSIs which is 58%.
| Category of SSSI
| Area included
(hectares) | Proportion meeting
the target (%)
|
| Woodland SSSIs outwith the public forest estate
| 74,400 | 71 |
| Public forest: woodland | 40,600
| 74 |
| Public forest: non-woodland | 26,600
| 66 |
| Non-woodland where "forestry" is recorded as the problem
| c 15,000 | c 60
|
| | |
13. Progress towards the target will be monitored through
the assessments of condition carried out by English Nature. The
Commission is working closely with English Nature to agree the
work needed to achieve favourable condition for each site. This
includes sharing information on the underlying issues and solutions
at a national scale.
REASONS FOR
"UNFAVOURABLE CONDITION"
14. English Nature's report on SSSI condition[14],
published in December 2003, gives the overall picture for SSSIs
of all types. This shows "forestry and woodland management"
as the fifth most extensive reason for "unfavourable condition",
affecting 6% of all SSSIs, with "deer" affecting a further
2%. The main reasons for unfavourable condition in woodland SSSIs
(in both private and public ownership) include the following (in
broadly decreasing importance):
— Browsing by deer, damaging seedlings, coppice
shoots and woodland flora.
— Excessive grazing by domestic livestock, particularly
in upland woods.
— Lack of traditional management, particularly coppicing
and cutting rides and glades.
— Shading by conifers and presence of non-native
or invasive species.
15. The range of non-woodland habitats on the public
forest estate is very wide, and as a result the reasons for unfavourable
condition are equally wide, but the following are the most common:
— Over-grazing (or occasionally under-grazing) of
grassland and heathland
— Conifer plantations remaining on non-woodland
habitats
— Past attempts at drainage which are still adversely
affecting bog, fen and heath
16. The work needed to achieve favourable condition is
very variable. The cost therefore also varies enormously, ranging
from major capital expenditure to modest annual costs or even
break-even operations. This makes budgeting difficult, exacerbated
by the fact that often only part of an SSSI needs remedial work
in order to bring the whole area into favourable condition. Conversely,
some large-scale actions, such as deer control or drainage, often
benefit an area larger than the SSSI itself.
17. Many sites can be brought into favourable condition
through one-off operations requiring capital payments. Others
will require an ongoing funding stream to maintain annual or periodic
actions, such as coppicing and deer control. As the area in favourable
condition increases, the area requiring ongoing maintenance, and
hence the total funding required also increases. This has implications
for ensuring that SSSIs that have been brought into favourable
condition do not slip back. There are wider factors, such as diffuse
pollution or climate change, which may result in some sites remaining
in or falling back into unfavourable condition despite the required
site management having been done.
Delivery Mechanisms
18. The Commission has prepared a delivery plan for this
target. This sets out the nature and scale of the task, the delivery
mechanisms and partners, planning and monitoring processes and
finally the main risks and challenges.
19. For woodland SSSIs outside the public forest estate,
the primary delivery mechanism has been the Commission's Woodland
Grant Scheme. This provides a range of incentives which contribute
to the cost of carrying out the sort of operations identified
in paragraphs 16 and 17 above. In 2002-03 the Commission paid
grants worth £1.1 million related to the management and improvement
of woodland SSSIs. The Commission is developing a new package
of measures which will replace the existing scheme in April 2005.
These will include many grants which could contribute to improvement
of SSSIs. In particular, Woodland Improvement Grants are proposed,
which are "narrow and deep" payments to address particular
problems or needs in woodland. The new measures will include the
scope for considerable regional discretion and local flexibility.
As an example, one possibility that is being considered is targeting
a proportion of the new Woodland Improvement Grant specifically
at improving SSSIs which are in unfavourable condition.
20. The Woodland Grant Scheme can fund some operations
relating to non-woodland habitats but the Commissioners' statutory
powers mean that grants cannot be provided for habitats which
are not part of a woodland. The Commissioners also issue felling
licences, including for the conversion of woodland to other habitat
where there are overriding public benefits. In many situations,
this presupposes the availability of other funding streams to
support the creation and management of the new habitat. Under
the developing proposals for Defra's Higher Tier Environmental
Stewardship Scheme it is anticipated that there will be increased
opportunities for the strategic co-ordination of different funding
streams.
21. The Commission's grants are often complemented by
grant aid from English Nature under their Wildlife and Reserve
Enhancement Schemes in order to fund actions which are not covered
by the Woodland Grant Scheme.
22. Delivery on the public forest estate is much more
straightforward. Once a policy is agreed, and funding is secured,
management can be directly implemented, via Forest Enterprise
staff or through the use of specialist contractors. This gives
responsive, direct and robust delivery of known outcomes, without
the uncertainty of the market or the whims of private owners.
Apart from a few sites where there are legal obstacles, the main
constraint has been resources, and focusing on SSSIs could mean
reducing expenditure on the provision of other non-market benefits.
23. Some examples which illustrate the range and potential
of the Commission's work in relation to SSSIs are included at
Annex A [Not printed] to this Memorandum.
MAJOR CHALLENGES
24. There are a number of significant challenges which
make achieving this target particularly difficult. These, and
examples of work underway to address them include:
— Engagement with woodland owners: about half of
the woodland on SSSIs is currently within a Woodland Grant Scheme,
and the Commission has very limited engagement with the owners
of the remaining SSSIs. This is being addressed by the inclusion
of woodland operations within Defra's Entry and Higher Level Agri-environment
Schemes; and the development of new outreach approaches, aiming
to advise, support and "inspire" owners rather than
just offer incentive payments.
— Deer: can have a significant impact. Excluding
deer from woods can be very expensive, and managing a herd is
only feasible at the scale of whole landscapes. Defra and the
Commission are currently undertaking a consultation on the sustainable
management of wild deer in England, to inform future strategic
directions on these issues
— Grazing: upland habitats, woodland and others,
are often over-grazed, whereas securing appropriate grazing for
lowland ones is becoming a significant issue. Conversely, securing
appropriate grazing for lowland woodlands is often the key issue.
The current proposals for Entry and Higher Level Schemes respectively
include options for maintenance and erection of fencing to exclude
livestock from woodland. In addition, the Commission has (with
the Rural Development Service and English Nature) initiated a
pilot survey of upland woods to assess the scale and nature of
the current overgrazing problem.
— Downturn in timber incomes: significant reductions
in world timber prices have reduced both the private and public
sector owners' ability to fund woodland improvement work. This
is leading to a decline in the capacity of the sector and the
skills base to actually carry out the work. The new English Woodland
Grant Scheme will target resources to those owners providing greatest
non-market benefits. SSSIs are featuring in the emerging regional
biodiversity and woodland/forestry strategies and frameworks,
which may open up scope for securing resources to pursue targets
at a regional level.
25. There are a number of other activities underway by
the Forestry Commission which will facilitate achievement of the
target, including:
— A complete site-by-site appraisal of all SSSIs
on the public forest estate is nearing completion. This comprises
data on the precise reasons for unfavourable condition, the work
required and costed plans for achieving it. These will be integrated
with the main spatial management database used by Forest Enterprise.
— The databases which will underpin the England
Woodland Grant Scheme have been designed to enable work done on
SSSIs to be analysed, so at any time the Commission will know
what work has been approved, completed and funded.
— Data on SSSI condition has been broken down into
a spatial dataset for each region, and regional teams are now
empowered to target their efforts to the handful of unfavourable
SSSIs in each county.
FUTURE PROGRESS
26. The Forestry Commission has been prioritising its
activities, in order to target more resources specifically at
SSSIs. Current projections suggest that this will enable us to
achieve favourable condition on 85 per cent of SSSIs that are
relevant to our work by 2010. If the 95% target is to be achieved
it will require additional resources, and it is estimated that
these will need to be in the order of £2 million per annum
from 2006 onwards.
27. Considering both woodland and non-woodland SSSIs,
there are some sites that will inherently be very difficult to
get into favourable condition. These are due to extremely high
cost operations, difficult local settings or legal constraints.
There will also be some where local public opinion is against
the sort of rapid landscape change that will be required. This
is particularly true of sites requiring removal of mature conifer
forest and restoration to non-woodland habitat. It is therefore
likely that there will be a "rump" of difficult sites
as we approach 2010.
12 March 2004
12
A New Focus for England's Woodlands. Strategic Priorities
and Programmes. Forestry Commission 1998. Back
13
Working with the Grain of Nature. A Biodiversity Strategy
for England. Defra. 2003. Back
14
England's best wildlife and geological sites: The condition
of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in England in 2003.
English Nature. 2003. Back
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