- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the funds raised through renewable projects in the national forest estate has been reinvested in purchasing commercially viable land.
Answer
The recently announced renewables projects on the national forest estate are not yet producing income. Forestry Commission Scotland has, however, through its repositioning programme been buying land suitable for planting. Since 2005 it has acquired 18,574 hectares.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it takes to assess the (a) economic and (b) environmental impact of replacing commercial woodland in the national forestry estate with wind energy projects and what mechanisms there are to ensure the long-term sustainable management of the estate.
Answer
Forest Enterprise Scotland is committed to maintaining annual timber production from the national forest estate at a sustainable level of between 3.3 and 3.5 million cubic metres per year. This guarantee of a stable and predictable timber supply helps to maintain confidence and sustain jobs in the timber harvesting, haulage and processing sectors. Forest Enterprise Scotland will therefore seek to maintain the productivity of the national forest estate by ensuring that potential timber production lost through removal of woodland for wind farms will be replaced by the creation of new productive woodlands through compensatory planting. In doing so, a broad assessment of future timber/carbon equivalence will be undertaken, this allowing for any forest re-design necessary for compliance with the UK Forestry Standard.
The environmental impact of woodland removal is assessed through Environmental Impact Assessments undertaken as part of the development management process, this being further informed by the Scottish Government''s policy on control of woodland removal - www.forestry.gov.uk/woodlandremoval.
The requirements for sustainable forest management are set out in the UK Forestry Standard and are embodied in the Scottish Government''s Scottish Forestry Strategy. In turn, the National Forest Estate Strategic Plan (2009-13), sets out how Forest Enterprise Scotland will implement the Scottish Forestry Strategy, seeking to balance the delivery of its social, economic and environmental objectives. Achievement of such sustainable forest management on the national forest estate is verified through independent certification against the internationally recognised UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS).
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the funds raised through Forestry Commission Scotland’s reprovisioning exercise has been reinvested in (a) tree planting and (b) purchasing land for the national forest estate since 2009.
Answer
The amount reinvested in new planting since 2009 is £2,837,581 which equates to 10.2% of the total income through the repositioning programme and the amount reinvested in purchase price of properties of £8,107,591 equates to 29.2% although we expect this figure to be 40% by the end of March 2011.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that Forestry Commission Scotland retains and develops its research capability in order to support the protection and enhancement of Scotland’s wildlife, historic environment, landscape and public access.
Answer
The majority of the research capability required to support the development of forestry policy in Scotland is provided by the Forestry Commission''s Forest Research Agency. By the agreement of forestry ministers in England, Scotland and Wales, the Research Agency is a GB-wide organisation which is funded by the Westminster Government. FC Scotland is a member of the Research Strategy Management Board which determines research priorities. Through Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish ministers will continue to press for a programme of research which meets Scotland''s needs, while retaining the ability to fund research directly, to supplement the programme delivered by the Forest Research Agency.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects Scottish Water to complete (a) an environmental and (b) a habitats regulations assessment of plans to develop renewable energy projects on its estate.
Answer
This information is not held centrally and I have asked the Chief Executive of Scottish Water to reply to you
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the reported view of the timber industry that the national forest estate provides significant economic wealth for communities in terms of direct employment and support to timber processing companies, and what measures it is taking to ensure that competing land uses are balanced in the long term.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the valuable contribution that the national forest estate makes to the delivery of social, economic and environmental outcomes, including the provision of employment and support for timber processing companies. Forestry is worth around £700 million to the Scottish economy every year and Scotland''s forests support over 30,000 jobs, mostly in rural areas.
The Scottish Government also recognises the need to seek an appropriate mixture of land uses in order to develop a diverse and resilient rural economy. This government is the first to embark upon production of a Land Use Strategy for Scotland. The strategy, which will shortly be laid before the Scottish Parliament, sets out proposals and policies for the long-term sustainable use of Scotland''s land resource and will provide a framework within which discussions aimed at determining the optimum mix of land uses in Scotland can take place.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of commercial woodland have been planted in the national forestry estate in each year since 1999, also broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The amount of hectares planted in the national forest estate is listed in the following tables:
Local Authority Area | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
Aberdeen City | 11 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 46 | 0 | 7 |
Aberdeenshire | 382 | 388 | 381 | 457 | 467 | 461 | 397 | 426 | 271 | 335 | 295 |
Angus | 30 | 54 | 35 | 52 | 40 | 42 | 19 | 85 | 7 | 13 | 22 |
Argyll and Bute | 759 | 789 | 997 | 968 | 841 | 846 | 1,025 | 995 | 1,011 | 876 | 1,020 |
Clackmannanshire | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 1,133 | 1,382 | 1,151 | 1,294 | 1,352 | 1,259 | 1,322 | 973 | 1,217 | 1,489 | 796 |
East Ayrshire | 2 | 54 | 92 | 17 | 17 | 188 | 160 | 31 | 195 | 160 | 70 |
East Dunbartonshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 7 | 0 |
Falkirk | 21 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fife | 16 | 5 | 10 | 49 | 22 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 57 | 80 |
Highland | 495 | 598 | 561 | 771 | 535 | 592 | 625 | 698 | 686 | 683 | 553 |
Inverclyde | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
Midlothian | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Moray | 114 | 126 | 336 | 226 | 193 | 228 | 80 | 96 | 122 | 63 | 96 |
North Ayrshire | 43 | 39 | 42 | 34 | 37 | 45 | 45 | 57 | 76 | 69 | 21 |
North Lanarkshire | 16 | 8 | 61 | 39 | 29 | 87 | 99 | 5 | 28 | 54 | 28 |
Perth and Kinross | 54 | 115 | 135 | 188 | 126 | 174 | 145 | 109 | 89 | 85 | 75 |
Renfrewshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66 |
Scottish Borders | 233 | 356 | 305 | 356 | 373 | 384 | 391 | 253 | 478 | 426 | 509 |
South Ayrshire | 133 | 285 | 303 | 189 | 246 | 300 | 177 | 254 | 324 | 111 | 385 |
South Lanarkshire | 0 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 33 | 173 | 33 | 176 |
Stirling | 197 | 133 | 227 | 197 | 204 | 293 | 269 | 111 | 222 | 264 | 205 |
West Lothian | 12 | 9 | 0 | 42 | 89 | 0 | 57 | 35 | 70 | 35 | 35 |
Total | 3,650 | 4,382 | 4,659 | 4,952 | 4,611 | 4,933 | 4,817 | 4,167 | 5,077 | 4,760 | 4,489 |
Note:
* Planting year runs from 1 October until 30 September the following year.
*2010 planting figures.
Forest Districts | Hectares |
North Highland | 308 |
Lochaber | 129 |
Inverness, Ross and Skye | 291 |
Moray and Aberdeenshire | 245 |
Tay | 192 |
Cowal and Trossachs | 222 |
West Argyll | 607 |
Scottish Lowlands | 316 |
Dumfries and Borders | 378 |
Galloway | 827 |
Total | 3,515 |
Note: *Figures are only available at this moment in time in by Forest District boundaries.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how (a) many hectares have been sold and (b) much money has been raised through Forestry Commission Scotland’s reprovisioning exercise since 2009.
Answer
Since 2009, 11,757 hectares have been sold under Forestry Commission Scotland''s repositioning programme raising £27,110,205 in the same period.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects Forestry Commission Scotland to complete (a) an environmental and (b) a habitats regulations assessment of plans to develop renewable energy projects on its estate.
Answer
All proposed sites are subject to planning regulations, which include an assessment of environmental impact and where appropriate a full Environmental Impact Assessment and/or Habitat Regulations Appraisal.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39204 by Richard Lochhead on 10 February 2011, whether it has made representations to (a) Sodexo and (b) Graham’s Family Dairy to ensure that the dairy farmers supplying the Scottish Government are receiving a price per litre in excess of production costs and above the average market rate.
Answer
The Scottish Government contract with Sodexo is to provide catering service, not specific foods or products. Whilst we expect our contractor to pay a fair price, the arrangements between our contractor and their suppliers are commercially sensitive and for the contractor to manage.
Separately I have recently met with Robert Graham junior to discuss options to increase the sustainability of the Scottish dairy sector.