IF our woods are sold, the most likely scenario is new owners will turn them into farming estates, according to the Dean's Forestry chief.

Forest of Dean deputy surveyor Kevin Stannard said private landowners could charge £100 per person for pheasant and game shoots, or "use woodland as part of an intensive farmed landscape".

He also estimated that the Government would make up to 10 times as much money if it sold four-acre wooded plots to developers rather than entire woods.

At a packed, invite-only, Autumn Forum held at the Beechenhurst Lodge, Mr Stannard sought to forge closer links between the Forestry and the Forest's inhabitants, unveiling a fresh ethos titled 'the forester's Forest'.

The new head of the Dean, who moved to Coleford's Bank House from Northamptonshire in July, said: "I have never come across a forest where the local community is so embedded in the forest and is so much part of it, and it's inspiring."

He said the most important focus is on the Dean's status as "the public's forest, cared for by the Forestry Commission".

He added that the high diversity of trees and wildlife was thanks to a "history of experimentation and silviculture, which continues."

The Forestry wants to focus more on attracting visitors, and encourage more attractions that are sympathetic to the environment, similar to the treetops adventure course Go Ape at Mallard's Pike.

"Our aim is also for greater integration with the local community on issues that matter – such as sheep and boar," said Mr Stannard.

He told Commoners' Association secretary Mick Holder at the forum: "The Forestry Commission wants to see freemining and commoning to continue and we will do what we can to facilitate that. But we can't say what will happen if the worst-case scenario happens and bits are sold off."

This year the Forestry's Dean division – which also includes woods in Somerset, Herefordshire and Wiltshire – made an operating loss of £810,000. Some will be offset by selling woods such as Bircham, near Coleford – on which offers closed yesterday, but the remainder will be made up from Defra.

By 2015, the Forestry believes that because of the Comprehensive Spending Review it will get no money from the Government. However, the Forestry aims to find ways of plugging an annual loss without selling any land.

This may mean redundancies – trade unions estimate one in four staff will lose their jobs.

Rich Daniels, from Dean Forest Voice, said: "From this presentation, it's clear that the Forestry Commission is doing a very good job for all of us, and must be allowed to continue."

If the Public Bodies bill becomes law, the Forestry's role may be diminished and the Statutory Forest's special protection scrapped. The House of Lords' standing committee is due to start examining the bill line by line next week.

A Defra spokesman said a public consultation will now not happen until next year, despite previous assurances it would start this autumn. No details have been released on sell-offs.