Labour MSP Colin Smyth, speaks to his amendment 39B, and says the government wishes to largely subsume the current Forestry Commission in Scotland into central government, which is difficult to understand.

Mr Smyth says the reality is the cabinet secretary has misled the parliament in relation to the letter from the trade unions.

Image source, bbc

He says the cabinet secretary had no useful discussions with the trade unions until after Stage 3.

Mr Ewing insists he has a good relationship with the trade unions and has been engaging with them since 2016 on this.

"This has been a respectful long and protracted process, as it should be."

Mr Smyth disagrees with that and says useful discussions were only begun recently.

George Anderson from the Woodland Trust feels that losing Forestry Commission Scotland would be a mistake.

Iain Laidlaw, a local Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union rep, said: "We are very worried that pulled too close into the Scottish government we are just going to be dragged from pillar to post depending on the latest whim of the latest minister."

Changes have been made such as a commitment to appoint a chief forestry officer.

That promise was enough to convince some parts of the sector, like the Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor), to support the bill.

Image source, Christopher Dare

Willie McGhee from the Forest Policy Group believes the government has been heavy handed in its approach.

"There are those in civic society that feel that they have been brow beaten and it almost looks to us from the outside as if parts of Forestry Commission have been bullied into accepting this arrangement."

Helen Todd from Ramblers Scotland said forestry is about walking, mountain biking and horse riding as much as it is about growing trees.

"If the Forestry Commission turns into a department of the Scottish government, we're really concerned that a lot of the expertise in managing that outdoor recreation will be lost over time."

SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson speaks to his amendments, 39A and 39D.

He says he supports the provisions already in the bill but his amendments seek to "improve" Ms Beamish's proposal should it be supported by the parliament.

Image source, SP

Labour MSP Claudia Beamish says her amendment 39 calls for a single agency to carry out forestry functions in Scotland.

Ms Beamish says it affects a lift and shift of current forestry arrangements, expertise and branding.

She says there are very serious misgivings about the centralisation and privatisation of forestry.

Image source, bbc

Image source, Getty Images

A last ditch attempt is being made to convince MSPs not to abolish the Forestry Commission in Scotland on the eve of its centenary.

The Scottish government bill seeks to make forestry a government department.

But many in the sector say it is a bad move which will see the loss of decades of forestry experience.

They wrote to MSPs last month urging them to vote against the bill.

If the bill is passed, Forestry Commission will be scrapped in Scotland in 2019 which is its centenary year.

The department which will replace it will be named Scottish Forestry.

Read more here.

Rural Secretary Fergus Ewing urges members to oppose amendment 39 and instead support the Scottish goverment's arrangements to have two agencies, noting a lack of support from industry for a single agency.

Amendments 39A and 39B would prevent the worst possible option of a single agency going ahead, Mr Ewing says, so he will support both though says amendment 39B is "problematic".

If amendment 39 is successfully amended by 39A and 39D, the cabinet secretary says no preparations have been made to establish FCS as a separate agency which could delay the new administrative arrangements.

Such delays would be compounded if MSPs vote through amendment 2 without amendment 2A, he adds.

Mr Ewing urges members to oppose amendment 39 whether or not it is amended.

Image source, Christopher Dare

The Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill was introduced following the devolution of powers over forestry.

Although Forestry Commission Scotland had its own committee, it operated under the UK body even though much of its funding came through the Scottish government.

But the Forestry Commission operated as a non-ministerial government department.

Critics of the Bill are concerned the sector could be impacted by the "latest whim of the latest minister".

Iain Laidlaw, a PCS union rep, said: "Ministers last maybe a couple of years if they are lucky. Forestry is a much longer-term business than that."

Image source, Scottish parliament

Rural Affairs Secretary Fergus Ewings says amendment 23 and 26 relating to a chief forester.

Mr Ewing says there are legitimate concerns around this.

He extols the virtue of a chief forester at Scottish Forestry and says he may move his amendments

Amendment 23 would remove section 64A from the Bill.

Image source, bbc

Image source, Reuters

The Bill progressed despite heavy criticism from Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs Committee.

Changes have been made such as a commitment to appoint a chief forestry officer.

That promise was enough to convince some parts of the sector, like the Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor), to support the bill.

But Willie McGhee from the Forest Policy Group believes the government has been heavy handed in its approach.

He said: "I think the civil servants have handed it very badly indeed. It's created quite a lot of bad feeling.

"There are those in civic society that feel that they have been brow beaten and it almost looks to us from the outside as if parts of Forestry Commission have been bullied into accepting this arrangement."

Fergus Ewing, the cabinet secretary for the rural economy, replied: "I have met with all the people that wish to meet with me and we have had discussions. There has been none of that (bullying) and that would be completely inappropriate."

Members had to run to vote on this amendment having left the chamber earlier.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie in particular looks pleased to have made it.

Image source, bbc

Rural Affairs Secretary Fergus Ewing says speaks to his amendment 10 in relation to felling permissions: variation, suspension and revocation.

Tory MSP Edward Mountain speaks against the amendments in the section.

MSPs run back into the chamber to make the vote.

MSPs back amendment 10 with 89 backing it and 32 against.

Image source, SP

The Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish parliament as the Scottish government wanted to fully devolve forestry in Scotland.

While the subject of forestry has been devolved for some time, the functions remained with the cross-border authority, the Forestry Commission.

Image source, Scottish goverment

Forestry Commission Scotland is part of the Forestry Commission but is funded by the Scottish government.

Meanwhile, Forest Enterprise Scotland is an executive agency of the Forestry Commission and is tacking with managing the Scottish National Forestry Estate in accordance with the priorities of Scottish ministers.

Tory MSP Edward Mountain says his party will accept the amendments thanks to the safeguards, though expresses misgivings about the limited time for scrutiny of them.

Amendment 9 was passed unanimously.

Image source, Scottish parliament

Rural Secretary Fergus Ewing says this amendments deal with illegal felling by allowing for temporary stop notices to be served.

Safeguards are also built into the amendments via a time limit and the opportunity for compensation if profits are lost, he says.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Edward Mountain says when the minister started his speech there were 20 Acts with compulory purchase power and when he finished there were 24, so they see

Mr Mountain says "We will never accept a power grab."

This leads to quite the brouhaha.

MSPs agree to Mr Mountain's amenment removing the section on

63 amendments back it and 61 are aginst.

Again the chamber, mainly the SNP benches, expresses disquiet.