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Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the area covered by afforestation in the United Kingdom in 1950, 1960, 1970 and 1980 and his estimate of expected life of reserves of current rates of extraction.
Mr. John MacKay
The area of woodland in each of these years was as follows:
Year
| Area (hectares)
|
| 1950 | 1,525,000 |
| 1960 | 1,700,000 |
| 1970 | 1,880,000 |
| 1980 | 2,180,000 |
These figures include unproductive woodland.
Woodlands are a renewable resource and, given their effective management, the life of timber reserves should be infinite.