Alongside the BBC and the NHS, the Forestry Commission is one of Britain’s success stories. It was formed as a government department in 1919 by the coalition government with the remit to restock the country’s forestry estate shattered by the first world war. Since then Britain has doubled its woodland cover, a unique international achievement.

This success has been achieved by a partnership between the public and private sector with the taxpayer making a contribution to both. Last year the public forest estate cost us £15 million, or 30 pence each. Good value, I would argue, for all the public benefits we receive through our internationally certified sustainable forests. To encourage the private sector, government grants are available through the Commission amounting to £27 million last year. This dual approach has worked well.

Legislation permitted the evolution of multi-purpose forestry in Britain with opportunities for recreation, conservation, biodiversity, health promotion and many other activities. Until then, the Commission’s remit was the extremely narrow one of producing timber.

The government’s reasons for breaking up state forestry are obscure and constantly changing. It began as a money-raising exercise until it became clear on their own figures that the costs of the privatisation were greater than the benefits. Then, unconvincingly, it was to assist the ‘big society’ dream. Eventually, agriculture minister Jim Paice blew the gaff when he told a meeting of coalition peers that the government had a ‘philosophical objection’ to the state owning forests. There we had it at last: the drive for this unpopular privatisation is ideological.

Ministers have repeatedly argued that the public’s interests would be protected by the sell-off. All the evidence, however, points to the contrary. The Forestry Commissioners have dedicated almost all their freehold land for legal access on foot and that is guaranteed by law. However, as we have seen from forests already sold by the coalition, such as Rigg Wood in Cumbria, the new owner can simply padlock the gate, deny any parking and, in effect, prohibit access.

Under public ownership there is de facto access on its 20 per cent of leasehold land but this is not a right which can be carried over legally into private ownership. At a stroke there will be a 20 per cent decrease in access on foot.

One of the growth activities in the public forests, has been that of cycling. Tens of thousands regularly use forest tracks and the more demanding mountain bike tracks. But the law does not allow this right to cycle to be a legal right, and any sell-off would mean that this effective right would be lost. A similar situation applies for horse riding.

The Forestry Commission has taken its biodiversity and conservation roles very seriously with an excellent record on the protection of sites of special scientific interest. Trees have been removed to allow areas to revert to heathlands, limestone pavements and upland bogs, which encourages repopulation by fauna and flora. All this would be at risk if the forests are sold-off.