Day 073 - 13 Jan 95 - Page 10


     
     1        relates to McDonald's.  Just a couple of examples:  There
     2        is a reference to McDonald's in 2.11.5 and 2.11.7 and then
     3        a conclusion in relation to McDonald's at 2.11.8.  Then --
     4        these are just examples only -- there is a conclusion
     5        relating to McDonald's at 3.5.4.  There are others as well,
     6        but it is where I am asked to relate what Mr. Hopkins has
     7        said to McDonald's that the focus should become sharpest.
     8
     9   MR. MORRIS:  Right.  If I miss something out, could you -----
    10
    11   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If I notice it, yes.
    12
    13   MR. MORRIS:  First of all, just on the general situation on
    14        temperate and boreal forests, which I believe is what we
    15        are concerned with, although McDonald's is a worldwide
    16        corporation, we are looking at forests, the countries which
    17        they have identified in northern Europe and the USA, Canada
    18         -- well, Europe in general, I think.  What is your general
    19        conclusion on the position of temperate and boreal forests
    20        in Europe and America, Canada?
    21        A.  In regard to their environmental qualities, I assume?
    22
    23   Q.   Yes.  What has been happening and what is likely to happen?
    24        A.  OK.  Things happen differently in different regions.
    25        I will start with Scandinavia, well, specifically Finland
    26        and Norway, which are the two major producers -- sorry,
    27        Finland and Sweden, which are the two major producers.
    28        Basically what has happened in those countries -----
    29
    30   Q.   Be very general at the moment.
    31        A.  OK.  Basically what has happened in those countries is
    32        that over the last 40, 50, 60 years there has been a change
    33        from a gently managed or traditional or an ancient forest
    34        to an industrial plantation forestry.  In North America the
    35        situation is slightly different where most -- that is
    36        Canada and the US -- where, over the last sort of 50 or so
    37        years, most logging or a lot of the logging has been in
    38        virgin forest, old growth forest, and this has been fairly
    39        destructive of the environment.  The old growth forest has
    40        been replaced by plantations which are of species, often
    41        monospecies, which are commercially of interest to the
    42        timber industry or to government authorities who are
    43        running the land when land belongs to the government.
    44
    45   Q.   Outside of Scandinavia and Americas, North America, Canada,
    46        what about, say, for example, the UK, the general position
    47        over the last 40, 50 years?
    48        A.  The general position over the last 40, 50 years has
    49        changed.  Due to timber shortages in Britain during the
    50        First World War, the government set up the Forestry 
    51        Commission -- I think it was then -- and decided they 
    52        needed a strategic reserve of timber for wartime.  What has 
    53        happened in forests -- I think we will call these "forests"
    54         -- in the United Kingdom is, in fact, there has been
    55        virtually a doubling of the area of forest, commercial
    56        forest, industrial forest, in the United Kingdom between
    57        about 1919 and now.
    58
    59        More recently, since 1947, when a new grant regime came in,
    60        there has been a lot of conversion of what we call ancient

Prev Next Index