Asked by: Lord Clark of Windermere (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to name the National Tree Champion.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
A decision on the appointment of the National Tree Champion will be made in due course.
Asked by: Lord Clark of Windermere (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will set out plans to ensure a appropriate balance between productive forest and amenity forest in the new Northern Forest.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Northern Forest will deliver accessible community woodland, boost biodiversity and facilitate improved air quality, and increased physical activity and improved health and wellbeing.
The trees planted in the Northern Forest will be guided by the principle of the right tree in the right place, in line with the UK Forestry Standard.
Discussions about the balance between different forest uses are ongoing between the Government, the Woodland Trust and Community Forests Partnership, and other stakeholders. An announcement will be made in due course.
Asked by: Lord Clark of Windermere (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) any environmental impact assessment regulations, and (2) the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, permit the removal of scrub and the burning of gorse between 1 and 8 August without the written permission of Natural England; and if so, whether those carrying out such removal and burning receive grants.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2007 govern the burning of heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse and vaccinium. The period 1 to 8 August is outside the burning season set out in the Regulations. For upland areas the season is 1 October to 15 April and for areas outside the uplands it is 1 November to 31 March. However, Natural England (NE) is able to grant licences for burning outside these dates if certain conditions and requirements are met.
Other legislation will also generally apply to the removal of scrub and the burning of gorse. For instance, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits any activity, including burning, that disturbs or destroys wild birds and their nests or other protected plants and animals.
Where farmers are claiming payment under the Basic Payment Scheme, as a condition of payment they will also have to comply with the requirements of the Heather and Grass Burning, etc, Regulations, including the relevant closed periods for burning.
Options which apply to the control or management of scrub and gorse for the benefit of the environment are available for farmers and other land managers in the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. These include the management of moorland and lowland heathland. These options take into account relevant legislative provisions. If a Countryside Stewardship agreement holder wished to carry out burning, they must follow The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2007. Advice is available from NE or from the Forestry Commission for woodland.
Asked by: Lord Clark of Windermere (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government from which countries timber with bark for firewood has been imported into the UK in the last five years.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs collect and publish National Statistics for the United Kingdom on the level of imports of woodfuel under commodity code 44011000: ‘fuel wood in logs, billets, twigs, faggots or similar forms’. No record is made to differentiate the presence or absence of bark on imports of woodfuel.
Figures for 2011-15, the latest figures for which complete data is available, are shown the Table attached.
We recognise that wood can be a pathway for the introduction and movement of harmful plant pests. That is why a new Statutory Notification Scheme for importing solid woodfuel (firewood) came into force on 1 January 2017. This requires importers bringing firewood into England and Scotland from outside the UK to provide the Forestry Commission with at least three days’ prior notification of its arrival if it is coming by sea, road or rail, and four hours’ notice if arriving by air. The Welsh Assembly Government is expected to introduce a similar regulation.
The scheme will enable the Forestry Commission to gather information about the firewood importing trade, and to carry out risk-based and random inspections of a selection of imports. This will help to ensure that the firewood or its associated wooden packaging meets British plant health landing requirements.
Asked by: Lord Clark of Windermere (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much timber with bark for firewood has been imported into the UK in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs collect and publish National Statistics for the United Kingdom on the level of imports of woodfuel under commodity code 44011000: ‘fuel wood in logs, billets, twigs, faggots or similar forms’. No record is made to differentiate the presence or absence of bark on imports of woodfuel.
Figures for 2011-15, the latest figures for which complete data is available, are shown the Table attached.
We recognise that wood can be a pathway for the introduction and movement of harmful plant pests. That is why a new Statutory Notification Scheme for importing solid woodfuel (firewood) came into force on 1 January 2017. This requires importers bringing firewood into England and Scotland from outside the UK to provide the Forestry Commission with at least three days’ prior notification of its arrival if it is coming by sea, road or rail, and four hours’ notice if arriving by air. The Welsh Assembly Government is expected to introduce a similar regulation.
The scheme will enable the Forestry Commission to gather information about the firewood importing trade, and to carry out risk-based and random inspections of a selection of imports. This will help to ensure that the firewood or its associated wooden packaging meets British plant health landing requirements.
Asked by: Lord Clark of Windermere (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the eco-system of importing timber with bark to the UK.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs collect and publish National Statistics for the United Kingdom on the level of imports of woodfuel under commodity code 44011000: ‘fuel wood in logs, billets, twigs, faggots or similar forms’. No record is made to differentiate the presence or absence of bark on imports of woodfuel.
Figures for 2011-15, the latest figures for which complete data is available, are shown the Table attached.
We recognise that wood can be a pathway for the introduction and movement of harmful plant pests. That is why a new Statutory Notification Scheme for importing solid woodfuel (firewood) came into force on 1 January 2017. This requires importers bringing firewood into England and Scotland from outside the UK to provide the Forestry Commission with at least three days’ prior notification of its arrival if it is coming by sea, road or rail, and four hours’ notice if arriving by air. The Welsh Assembly Government is expected to introduce a similar regulation.
The scheme will enable the Forestry Commission to gather information about the firewood importing trade, and to carry out risk-based and random inspections of a selection of imports. This will help to ensure that the firewood or its associated wooden packaging meets British plant health landing requirements.