Proposals to offload 258,000 hectares run by the Forestry Commission have attracted cross-party criticism and a public outcry.

The planned sale of 15% of state-owned forests will be put on hold, ministers said, as they "re-examine the criteria" for disposing of them.

Ministers say the 15% sale - which will raise an estimated £100m - will still go ahead over the next four years but they wanted to ensure "the necessary protection for all public benefits of the public forest estate are in place".

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said the "revised timetable" for the partial sale would give time to consider public concerns about the stewardship of the land concerned and ensure proper safeguards were in place.

"In light of the government commitment to increase protection for access and public benefit in our woodlands, the criteria for these sales will be reviewed so that protections are significantly strengthened following the inadequate measures that were applied to sales under the previous administration," she said. "Pending this review, no individual woodland site will be put on the market."

"It was a "panic measure" and would not silence the protests. The government is allowed to sell off 15% of England's woodlands in each four year public spending period - and that is what the announcement relates to.

Labour, who have accused ministers of "environmental vandalism", urged ministers to go further and rethink its entire approach to the future of English woodlands.

This is a panic measure by a government which has been spooked by the huge public outcry," Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh said. "This partial U-turn will not be enough to silence the protests."

"This feels like a exercise in public reassurance by ministers who know that their proposals to transfer the 1,000 square miles of Forestry Commission land in England to the private and charitable sectors are hugely controversial.

The government is considering privatising all of the Forestry Commission land in England.

There's an on-going public consultation.

There's also legislation before Parliament which would make such a large scale transfer of land possible.

But today's statement refers only to the on-going, smaller scale sell off of Forestry land which began many years ago.

None of this has any immediate impact on the bigger picture.

But it is clearly a message to the public from the government saying: "Your Forests are safe in our hands".

It has no impact has on the ongoing consultation on the remaining 85% of the public forest estate, the Department of the Environment stressed."

"We're pleased the Government has put on hold plans to sell off some English Forests. It seems the public message is getting through. There is still a long way to go and our overriding concern has to be making sure that forests are properly safeguarded for the future."

The British Horse Society welcomes the Government’s announcement that it intends to put on hold its plans to sell off some English forests this year.

It is important that before any sales or leases of our forests proceed that appropriate measures have been put in place to secure the permissive access that equestrians enjoy in the forests.

To date no details or assurances have been given as to how the permissive access that equestrians enjoy will be protected. The public consultation document is silent on this.

The Society will continue to lobby hard to ensure that adequate measures are put in place should any sales or leases of our forests proceed.

The British Horse Society believes that our interests will be best protected by the Forestry Commission dedicating higher rights for equestrians, (pursuant to section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) in our forests.

The Society welcomes the Government's announcement that it intends to put on hold its plans to sell off some English forests this year, however this does not mean that the access that equestrians enjoy in the public forest estate is safe.

To date no assurances have been given as to how the permissive access that equestrians enjoy in our forests will be protected.

This is a stay of execution rather than a reprieve and it is important that equestrians respond to the Government's consultation on the Future of the Public Forest Estate and continue to lobby their MPs to drive home the point as to the detrimental effect that it would have on equestrian safe off road riding if this access was withdrawn.

It is just this years sales that have been put on hold and it is highly likely that the programme of sales will continue next year.

It is important that before any sales or leases of our forests proceed that appropriate measures have been put in place to secure the permissive access that equestrians enjoy in the forests.

The Society will continue to lobby hard to ensure that adequate measures are put in place should any sales or leases of our forests proceed.

The British Horse Society believes that our interests will be best protected by the Forestry Commission dedicating higher rights for equestrians, (pursuant to section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) in our forests.