That was the claim this week from Scottish Borders councillor and Lib Dem MSP Jim Hume, who says the SNP wants to privatise at least 25 per cent of Scotland's Forestry Commission land and that this will affect the Borders, Galloway and the forest of Ae, all in the south of Scotland.

Mr Hume has accused the SNP of trying to "sneak" the plans through under its climate change bill.

"The proposals will also affect companies which rely on timber as their raw material, so there will be knock-on consequences," Mr Hume told TheSouthern this week.

"I'm astounded at the SNP's proposals to privatise forests. The idea is nothing more than folly and apart from all the other reasons not to go ahead with it, it simply doesn't tally with their plans for biomass.

"If the SNP decides to go ahead with these plans, the only people taking up the leases will be large private timberland companies not interested in jobs, forestry for recreation or maintaining a sustainable forestry sector to support biomass initiatives and associated companies in the wood industry.

"I believe that the proposals are highly flawed and will do nothing to help tackle climate change as the SNP is claiming.

"They are jeopardising Scotland's forests to make a quick buck."

Mr Hume has now lodged a series of parliamentary questions over the issue, which includes asking the Scottish Government whether it intends to lease long-term full-management and cutting rights over at least 25 per cent of the National Forest Estate in Scotland to large timberland investment companies, and what impact this would have on Forestry Commission jobs.

He also wants assurances that Scotland's forests will not be jeopardised as recreational resources as a result of any long-term leasing out of such management and cutting rights to large timber companies.

However, South of Scotland SNP MSP Christine Grahame claims there is a great deal of scaremongering taking place about the proposals, which are still under consultation and close on January 27 next year.

"The environment minister has given the unions absolute guarantees that jobs will be secure, yet for apparently political reasons the unions and a few MSPs have decided to seriously misrepresent the actual position," Ms Grahame told us.

"The SNP is committed to meeting our climate change objectives and these proposals are designed to do just that. This is not, as Mr Hume has stated, privatisation of Scotland's forests and anyone who has been monitoring the discussions so far on this issue would realise how preposterous that suggestion is.

"Not a single branch or twig will be sold off as the Liberals have stated."