Fears over climate if forests cut down

Tim Rollinson said forests were being lost and degraded at an alarming rate.

The commission's director general spoke ahead of a major conference beginning in Edinburgh today.

Hundreds of delegates from around the world will discuss programmes for forest restoration and protection at the five-day event.

Mr Rollinson said: "Forests lock up carbon and help to regulate the climate, so we need them to help keep the Earth's climate in balance.

"In short, without forests we're in serious trouble, yet they are still being lost and degraded at an alarming rate.

"The causes of forest loss and degradation are complex and difficult, but we cannot afford to shy away from tackling them.

"In many cases the key is to make the forest worth more alive and healthy than degraded or removed.

"The good news is that it can be done, and this conference will hear some inspiring success stories from countries where the seemingly unstoppable tide of deforestation and forest degradation has been reversed."

The 18th Commonwealth Forestry Conference, Restoring the Commonwealth's Forests: Tackling Climate Change, takes place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre until Friday.

The Forestry Commission manages one million hectares of public forest in England, Scotland and Wales.