Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) in the Forestry Commission have reacted angrily to news that one in four of their jobs will be cut.

PCS said The announcement makes a mockery of the fact that the independent forestry panel, set up to review the future of our publicly run forests following the government's climbdown over privatisation earlier this year, does not make its recommendations until August.

It also comes days after a decision at PCS's annual conference that the union would ballot its 250,000 civil and public service members for national industrial action over cuts to jobs, pensions and pay.

The union says that the Forestry Commission management is acting in bad faith by announcing such draconian cuts three months ahead of the independent panel's interim report and 11 months ahead of the final report.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "Ministers made much of the fact that they listened when half a million people signed a petition against their planned sell-off of our public forests.

"But axing this many staff will leave the Forestry Commission unable to maintain the excellent public services our members provide which are so highly regarded by the public."

PCS Forestry Commission group president Mary Irvine said: "PCS members are totally opposed to these measures and will vote with their feet when ballot papers hit desks later this week.

"To reduce staff and offices by the scale outlined today is a deliberate ploy to run down the Forestry Commission to sell it off on the cheap."