Specialist workers at the Forestry Commission have given a cautious welcome to a statement by environment secretary Caroline Spelman today (11 February) that sales of forestry land will be put on hold pending a review of criteria for sale. But Prospect warned that nothing short of a complete U-turn on the sale of land would protect England's forests and the wider timber industry.

Negotiator Malcolm Currie said: "We welcome the fact that the government is thinking again, in the light of the near-universal chorus of opposition to the plans from all sectors of the community.

"We trust that the review will lead to a concrete decision to cancel its plans and is not a cheap tactic to buy time by playing a long game and hoping the opposition will die down.

"Opponents of the sell-off need to stay on alert for any backsliding by the government or an announcement being slipped out in six months' time."

Currie warned that the Public Bodies Bill enables the government to amend the Forestry Commission's statutory and wider functions at will. "While that is still on the cards, the dangers are still there, regardless of any review."

Environment secretary Caroline Spelman made a written ministerial statement entitled ‘Forestry Commission England's 2011-12 asset sales programme.' She said: "In light of the government's commitment to increase protection for access and public benefit in our woodlands, the criteria for these sales will be reviewed so that protections are significantly strengthened following the inadequate measures that were applied to sales under the previous administration.

"Pending this review, no individual woodland site will be put on the market."

Prospect's 270 specialist members in the Commission include senior managers, scientists, librarians, photographers, researchers and other specialists.

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