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Information note - No. 61 The Forestry Research Co-ordination Committee met on 10 April 2003 at Silvan House, Forestry Commission, Edinburgh. Committee membershipMalcolm Beatty of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland and Huw Davies representing the Welsh Assembly Government were welcomed as new members to the Committee. Publications and workshopsA report of the workshop on Tree Genomics was presented. This was an FRCC sponsored session of the Society of Experimental Biology annual meeting in April 2003 and a short account of the proceedings will be published on an FRCC Information Note. The content and programme of the FRCC workshop on Woodland Birds which was held at the end of April 2003 was agreed. FRCC Information Note 60 which describes the Government’s 2002 Forestry Devolution Review and the 2002/2003 UK expenditure on forestry and tree-related research has been published. This is now available along with other FRCC publications on this website. The full FRCC collation of 02/03 UK-funded research on forestry and trees is available from the FRCC secretary and will shortly be on the website. The UK Science Budget 2003/04 to 2005/06, Rural Economy and Land UseThe Committee discussed the UK Science Budget 2003/04 to 2005/06 which was published by DTi in December 2002 and shows an increase in the rate of growth from 7% year-on-year to 10% over the period to 05/06 (in real terms). The main interest for FRCC are the proposals for Rural Economy and Land Use. This section of the budget shows increased funding by BBSRC, NERC and ESRC in 2004/05 and 05/06. The aim of this programme is to provide the body of evidence supported by underpinning research that may be used to inform Government policy in this area. The long-term outcome is achieving a rural economy that meets social and economic objectives, with protection of the rural environment and a modern, sustainable and competitive farming industry. A strategic advisory committee for the Rural Economy and Land Use Programme will hold its first meeting in May 2003. There will also be a stakeholder group including the Scottish Executive, Defra, EA, Countryside Agency and others, and a small grant round is planned for the Autumn with a main grant round in 2004. ESRC are the lead organisation and a website has been established for the programme (www.esrc.ac.uk). The Environmental Research Funders Forum will look at research priorities in preparation for the next Government Funding Review (website www.erff.org.uk). The UK Biodiversity Research Advisory Group covers a number of cross-cutting issues including forestry. The Forestry Commission is currently working on a new Research Strategy. This will refocus the FC’s research programme to address the Country Forestry Strategies and the UK National Forest Programme, which was launched by the forestry Ministers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in February 2003 (www.forestry.gov.uk/sustainableforestry). FRCC Collation of Forest Research 2003/04Following analysis of objectives and use, the Committee concluded that there is a continuing need for the annual collation. A wider range of rural and social research projects will be included with the forestry components identified. The keyword index will be revised and contributors will also be asked to identify whether projects are mainly of interest globally, at the European level or to UK, Wales, Scotland or England. Data requests for 2003/04 expenditure will be sent out in March 2004 with a deadline of the end of May 2004 for return. The next meeting of FRCC will be on 5 November 2003 in London. June 2003
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