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22 January 2011
Last updated at 05:00 ET
A majority of the public opposes plans to sell some of England's forests, a survey suggests.
Three-quarters of the 2,000 polled by YouGov for the 38 Degrees pressure group said they were against the plans.
Ministers want to transfer power from the Forestry Commission, which owns 18% of woodlands, to the private sector, saying this will boost public control.
A public consultation begins next week and a bill to enable the sale is due to go before the House of Lords.
Earlier this month, hundreds of people gathered in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire to protest about the possible sale of parts of the public woodland.
David Babbs, executive director of 38 Degrees, which commissioned the poll, said the results were evidence that most English people want woodlands protected for future generations and for wildlife.
He said a government consultation over the 150,000 hectares of land - which is due to set out the government's preferred options for the future of the nation's woodlands next week - was "asking the wrong question".
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"They are asking us how the forests should be privatised. But most of us don't want our forests privatised at all."
More than 160,000 people have signed an online petition opposing any Forestry sell-off, he added.
"More people visit our woodlands each year than visit the English seaside.
"These are national treasures and we are very worried that if our public woodlands are broken up and privatised, that would mean a significant reduction in both public access to the woodland and in the standards of care for the woodland wildlife that lives here."
Joe Twyman of YouGov said three-quarters of the 2,000 people polled online opposed the plans, while 84% agreed with the principle that forests should stay in public ownership.
"We have very high figures supporting the status quo, there really is among the general public no desire for change," he said.
But Sue Holden of the Woodland Trust said public/private ownership was not the key issue because some owners would be sympathetic.
"We want to see enhanced protection for all woods before selling off starts and some of the capital made from sales of these forests returned for public good," she added.
In October, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said its plans were a "new approach to ownership and management of woodlands and forests, with a reducing role for the state and a growing role for the private sector and civil society".
It said it envisaged "a managed programme of reform to further develop a competitive, thriving and resilient forestry sector that includes many sustainably-managed woods", adding that it was committed to biodiversity and other public benefits.
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Three-quarters of the 2,000 polled by YouGov for the 38 Degrees pressure group said they were against the plans.
Ministers want to transfer power from the Forestry Commission, which owns 18% of woodlands, to the private sector, saying this will boost public control.
A public consultation begins next week and a bill to enable the sale is due to go before the House of Lords.
Earlier this month, hundreds of people gathered in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire to protest about the possible sale of parts of the public woodland.
David Babbs, executive director of 38 Degrees, which commissioned the poll, said the results were evidence that most English people want woodlands protected for future generations and for wildlife.
He said a government consultation over the 150,000 hectares of land - which is due to set out the government's preferred options for the future of the nation's woodlands next week - was "asking the wrong question".
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
We are committed to shifting the balance of power from big government to big society by giving individuals, businesses, civil society organisations and local authorities a much bigger role in enhancing the natural environment”
End Quote
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
"They are asking us how the forests should be privatised. But most of us don't want our forests privatised at all."
More than 160,000 people have signed an online petition opposing any Forestry sell-off, he added.
"More people visit our woodlands each year than visit the English seaside.
"These are national treasures and we are very worried that if our public woodlands are broken up and privatised, that would mean a significant reduction in both public access to the woodland and in the standards of care for the woodland wildlife that lives here."
Joe Twyman of YouGov said three-quarters of the 2,000 people polled online opposed the plans, while 84% agreed with the principle that forests should stay in public ownership.
"We have very high figures supporting the status quo, there really is among the general public no desire for change," he said.
But Sue Holden of the Woodland Trust said public/private ownership was not the key issue because some owners would be sympathetic.
"We want to see enhanced protection for all woods before selling off starts and some of the capital made from sales of these forests returned for public good," she added.
In October, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said its plans were a "new approach to ownership and management of woodlands and forests, with a reducing role for the state and a growing role for the private sector and civil society".
It said it envisaged "a managed programme of reform to further develop a competitive, thriving and resilient forestry sector that includes many sustainably-managed woods", adding that it was committed to biodiversity and other public benefits.
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