WITH the report on the future of Britain's public woodlands due this Thursday (January 31) the Government has been warned nationally and locally that they risk a massive explosion of protest if they attempt another sell-off.

Chair of Dean group HOOF (Hands Off Our Forest) Rich Daniels said the fury of local people would equal the protests which saw a sudden U-turn on the proposed disposal of England's Public Forest Estate in 2010-11, followed by the commissioning of an Independent Panel on Forestry which will present this week's report.

In particular it was important for the Government to realise a Treasury-led 'raid' on woodlands and interference with the Forestry Commission's management of them would reap a whirlwind across the whole country.

Aligning himself with national group Our Forests, of which he is also a member, Mr Daniels said: "It would be unwise for Government to think that the disposal of any significant part of our public forests and woods would pass without reigniting the flames of protest in the hearts of people and forest communities across England.

"The prospect of any our public woods and forests being threatened again after we have fought so hard to protect them will be met with even more determined campaigning.

"As far as the Forest of Dean is concerned, continued management by the Forestry Commission is the only acceptable option for our community – over the years the FC has proven itself to be a highly-effective and sensitive manager of the Forest for all the many interests that enjoy and use it and through its Forest Design Plan ensured that local and national considerations are taken into account and balanced. Meddle with this at your peril, Minister!"

Rather than hiving off the forested areas of Britain, the extents of which are decreasing year on year, the Government should be thinking in terms of expanding tree planting to meet recreational, cultural, strategic and energy needs for future generations, say Our Forest members who include environmental campaigner Jonathon Porritt. In fact, the group would like to see woodlands extended as far as Domesday Book levels.

•Domesday Forest: current tree planting rates are down to 2,500 hectares per year in England, compared to around 6,500 hectares per year in the 1990s. However, Scotland has set a national planting target of 10,000-15,000 hectares per annum, so creating 500,000-750,000 hectares of new woodland over the next 50 years. Translated to England, such a scale of ambition and planting would bring the country's tree-cover back to around 15 per cent of total land area, close to the woodland cover believed present in 1086.