TREE and woodland lovers should not fear government plans to sell Wyre Forest, according to an MP who represents a part of it.

Hundreds of thousands of people including celebrities have been left outraged at proposals to sell 15 per cent of the public forest estate by 2015 in a bid to raise about £100 million.

The Department for En-vironment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched a consultation paper yesterday detailing options for the disposal of the rest of the public forest estate, potentially raising between £140 million and £250 million.

Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier, a Conservative backbencher, said this issue has provoked the biggest response from his constituents since he was voted into office in May.

“It’s extraordinary but as a result I do understand people are worried about it,” he said.

More than 260,000 people nationally have signed a petition to save the forests on campaign group 38 Degrees’ website while environment and nature groups are also on edge.

Much of Wyre Forest is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) but Mr Garnier said the main issues surround access, ownership and preservation.

He said access is preserved by law meaning nobody can put up fences or walls or prevent people walking through the forest.

People’s fears that the trees will simply be cut down and not replaced are also unfounded, according to Mr Garnier because he said they are all protected by preservation orders.

The land cannot be used to build homes on either.

Mr Garnier said the biggest grey area surrounds what the forest owners can do with it, such as using it for commercial benefit.

He said companies such as Go Ape are already operating in Wyre Forest while the Forestry Commission has a café in its visitor centre.

Despite that Mr Garnier said there is little or no commercial benefit attached to owning a forest, which has prompted many people to ask who will buy it.

“Community groups might do,” he said. “All sorts of groups have been left outraged by this so if they are so passionate they might want to own it.

“I can’t quite see why anybody would want to buy a forest from a commercial point of view.”

Mr Garnier said he thought the Government had failed to communicate its plans properly to the public.

“We got this wrong but I think that was because we thought there was nothing to worry about,” he said.