Widespread protests, including this one by seven-year-old Fergus Meanwell in Grizedale, greeted the Government's sell-off plans

Campaigners have called for the Government to set up a similar scheme to the new canal charity to help save England’s forests.

Save Lakeland’s Forests said the cost of the Forestry Commission to each of the country’s taxpayers is just 30p.

The organisation joined the Friends of the Lake District today, the first anniversary of the coalition Government’s announcement on selling off England’s forests, in calling on Westminster to halt the cuts in the commission that threaten the future of the nation’s woodland and undermine the agency’s work.

The two campaigning groups urged the Government to fund forests properly, as it has done with the country’s canals and waterways, which will be run by the new Canal and River Trust, with £1.26bn-worth of funding over the next 15 years.

A spokesperson for Friends of the Lake District said: “One of the areas that is being hit hardest is the Forestry Commission’s wildlife work, with a cut of one in five wildlife rangers across the country.

In the northern region, which includes the Lake District and Kielder Forest, the number of wildlife rangers has been cut from 16 to 13; nationally the cut is from 76 to 61.

Lord Clark of Windermere, the Labour peer and former chair of the Forestry Commission, said: “The Forestry Commission’s wildlife rangers do invaluable work to improve the biodiversity of our public forests.

“In the Lake District and Kielder that includes projects that have seen the return of ospreys and red kites, as well as the ongoing battle to save our native red squirrels.

“We showed last year that the Forestry Commission was costing just 30p for every taxpayer. That is a small price for preserving and enhancing these magnificent green spaces for people to enjoy today and for the benefit of future generations.”

The Government backed off the plans to sell the public forest estate after a massive outcry. It set up an Independent Panel on Forestry which includes the former chief executive of the Ramblers Tom Franklin.

The panel is due to visit the Lake District on 7 March, shortly before submitting its report to ministers. One of the issues they will be considering is whether the Forestry Commission should be given more freedom to raise money commercially and by charitable donations.

Jack Ellerby from Friends of the Lake District will be one of the people meeting the panel during its visit.

He said: “We know from its interim report that the Forestry Panel has a very good grasp of the wide ranging values everyone places on the public forests.

“From saving red squirrels in northern England to reducing the devastating impacts of new tree diseases, we look to the panel to show how to rejuvenate the fortunes of the Forestry Commission in managing these national treasures.

“Stable core Government funding along the lines of the British Waterways-Canal and River Trust, who look after the nation’s canal system, and a more flexible, independent trading structure would offer a new way forward economically.”

Last year in the Lake District about 1,500 people gathered for a rally in Grizedale Forest against the sell-off and about 1,000 turned out for a celebratory rally in Whinlatter Forest just after the Government climbdown in February 2011.

The protests brought together a wide range of people including mountain bikers, hikers and wildlife enthusiasts in opposition to the Government plans.