Government announces forestry panel

Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh expressed concern on 17 March that the government's forestry panel will not include representatives of local campaign groups.

The government announced the members of the forestry panel in a written ministerial statement on 17 March and confirmed at Defra questions in the House of Commons that no local campaign groups will sit on it.

Mary said "The trees are not out the woods yet. This Sunday will see thousands of people gather in forests across the country to keep up pressure on the government to abandon its sale of 100,000 acres of England's forests."

"They will be asking why their local organisations have been excluded from this forestry panel."

For more details on the panel visit: ww2.defra.gov.uk/rural/forestry/panel/