To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to put in place arrangements to ensure that forests owned or leased by the Forestry Commission continue to be certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council after the disposal of the public forest estate; and if she will make a statement.

Certification under the UK Woodland Assurance Standard is voluntary and this will be a decision for the new owners of woodland in the Forestry Commission's current asset sales programme. The consultation on the future ownership and management of the public forest estate will include proposals on how certification might be maintained.