“We are delighted that the Panel has recommended that the public forest estate should remain in public ownership, and that the Government has quickly endorsed that call. Swift action is now needed to increase access to those public woodlands, and to private woods too, as advocated by the Panel.

“The real test now is how the Government will act to take forward these ambitious recommendations. Ministers will rightly take time to consider the report, but the six month timetable they have set themselves is long enough. We need to maintain momentum on this issue.  The hundreds of thousands of people who protested against the original sell-off plans will want to see a positive new vision for woods and trees that will guarantee their future for generations to come.”