UK National Forest Programme Published
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5th February 2003
035/03
A national forest programme for the UK was jointly launched today by the forestry Ministers for Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
Speaking after a meeting with his Ministerial colleagues, Ian Pearson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for Agriculture and Rural Development, welcomed the publication of the UK National Forest Programme. Mr Pearson said:
"The UK National Forest Programme draws the attention of a wider audience to the excellent progress being made in forestry in Northern Ireland. This has the potential to provide real benefits to forest owners when it comes to finding a market for their timber and to promoting tourism and nature conservation related to our woodlands."
The programme consists of:
- full versions of the forestry strategies for England, Scotland, Wales and the consultation document for Northern Ireland,
- the UK Forestry Standard which shows how UK policy and practices fit in with international understanding and commitments on sustainable forestry, and sets out the criteria and standards which will be applied,
- an introduction which outlines the background and international context of the key documents,
- and links to related documents such as the recently published UK Indicators of Sustainable Forestry.
Published together on a single CD ROM, the documents provide a complete framework for policy and practice on sustainable forest management in the UK.
Publication of the programme is part of the Government's ongoing follow up from last year's World Summit on Sustainable Development. The programme charts progress on forestry from Rio to Johannesburg and reflects the UK's commitment to move from rhetoric to implementation. It will be taken forward by a partnership of Government, industry, and environmental groups through the UK Forest Partnership for Action which is committed to sustainable development in the forestry sector.
The programme is expected to be an invaluable source for policy makers, environmentalists and all those working in the forestry sector. Copies are available free of charge from Forest Service headquarters in Dundonald House, or the Forestry Commission or by sending an E-mail to info@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.
The separate documents are also available on the Forestry Commission's website www.forestry.gov.uk/sustainableforestry.
