Significant changes in forestry consultation procedures have been announced by Malcolm Rifkind, Secretary of State for Scotland. Disputed forestry planting and felling proposals, which are referred to the Forestry Commission’s Regional Advisory Committees, will in future be advertised to allow the public to submit views, thus ensuring that the proceedings of the committees are the subject of greater public accountability.
In addition, chairmen of the seven Regional Advisory Committees will, as far as possible, be selected to ensure that there is unlikely to be any real or apparent clash of interest when disputed cases are considered by their committee.
The regional committees, set up in 1967 to give advice to the Forestry Commissioners on a range of forestry matters, had their terms of reference extended in 1974 to help resolve differences of view on planting and felling applications. However, the committees do not themselves take decisions on cases referred to them: their role is that of conciliation and advice.
