General Chat

" Selling our forests" ,

I feel very strongly about this, trees are the lungs of this country, essential to us on so many levels and to wildlife, we are obligated (imo) to manage and preserve what is left of our forests for our children.

If you feel you can sign the petition , having read all sides of course, please do.

Rose xx

Thank you Rose for bringing this to my attention.

Copying my comments on Gen' to here also, to put on my own thread rather than someone elses. No one has to agree with me, no one has to sign the petition or make comment, this is my viewpoint and not intended to be anything other than that.

RamblingRose Request Review Edit Delete One Hour Ago
FGS I hadn't seen this!
from the Telegraph:

" Ministers are planning a massive sell-off of Britain's Government-owned forests as they seek to save billions of pounds to help cut the deficit, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, is expected to announce plans within days to dispose of about half of the 748,000 hectares of woodland overseen by the Forestry Commission by 2020.

The controversial decision will pave the way for a huge expansion in the number of Center Parcs-style holiday villages, golf courses, adventure sites and commercial logging operations throughout Britain as land is sold to private companies.

Legislation which currently governs the treatment of "ancient forests" such as the Forest of Dean and Sherwood Forest is likely to be changed giving private firms the right to cut down trees.

Laws governing Britain's forests were included in the Magna Carta of 1215, and some date back even earlier.

Conservation groups last night called on ministers to ensure that the public could still enjoy the landscape after the disposal, which will see some woodland areas given to community groups or charitable organisations. "

DC and his so called 'green credentials' , as transparent as a piece of glass...though I'll admit even I didn't think they would go this far.

Absolutely appalled.

RamblingRose Request Review Edit Delete One Hour Ago
http://saveourforests.co.uk/how-to-help/

146,700 have signed the petition there to date. If you can , please do.

also please read

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/news-media/Pages/press.aspx

"Woodland Trust statement on Forestry Commission disposals"

I feel.... " I have every right to be appalled, we are talking about HALF of the forestry currently managed by The Forestry Commision', NOTE the word 'managed' , there will be no guarantee that any forests sold off will be managed, other than in the sense of chopping them down and doing something else with the land.

I HAVE read what the Woodland Trust is saying , that is why I added their site link so that everyone can read what the concerns are in full.

No one is being asked to sign unless they feel that what they have read concerns them enough to warrant them doing so.

RamblingRose Request Review Edit Delete 10 Minutes Ago

It may well be that the Woodland Trust considers some area of forestry can be safely put in the hands of logging companies, for example the largely limited (in terms of biodiversity) pine forests in Wales used for production of timber, and therefore not likely to be chopped down without replacement.

But that will not be the case where (mixed *) broadleaf forests fall into private hands, there may well be no financial benefit to a company (in) either keeping , managing or replanting them.

Once a 200 year old oak tree is gone, it's gone."

**Edit to add the word 'mixed ' to "broadleaf forests"

Thank you Rose, living close to The Forest Of Dean with all its beauty I feel strongly about this. there was recently a huge protest meeting held in the forest which was reported in our local paper. I have signed the petition.

Signed now I've got my brain in working order ;-)

I wonder what Prat came up with this stupid idea? one minute they,re saying Plant a Tree,Which I am in favour of and have done so. The next they want to flog them off. I think some people would concrete the whole B Country if they could.**M**.

Merlin, cuts to my standard of living I can bear with reasonably good grace, cuts to 'my' trees I can't lol.