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Access: Forestry Panel want your input

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The newly appointed (and mountain biker free) DEFRA Independent Panel on Forestry Policy in England have been given their Terms of Reference – and part of their job is going to be “engaging and taking evidence from the widest range of views and interest” about the future path England’s Forestry should take.

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The Panel are due to give their report to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the autumn, so that means there’s plenty of time to submit your thoughts on how Britain’s publicly owned forest should be managed and what should be done about access and facility for bikers.

Here’s the vital information…

“The Panel is getting its work underway and is keen to hear from everyone with an interest in England’s forest and woodlands.

The Chair, the Rt Rev Bishop James Jones, and the wider Panel are keen to get out and about, to meet local and specific interest groups, and find the best ways to engage people in a dialogue about the future of forestry and woodland policy in England, and on the role of the Forestry Commission in implementing it. The Panel will be updating its web pages with information on how it intends to do this and about the work of the Panel shortly (see http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/rural/forestry/panel/). This page gives the terms of reference and list of Panel members, who were appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Caroline Spelman.

We really welcome your suggestions on places to visit, issues and evidence the panel should consider, and practical ideas. We are sorry that we cannot respond individually to every e-mail we receive. If you would like to be added to our mailing list then please reply with the details listed below.

Name:

E-mail address:

Organisation/location:

Secretariat to the Independent Panel on Forestry
Defra
Area 3B
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR

forestrypanel@defra.gsi.gov.uk

We will keep these details on a database, which will to enable us to contact individuals and organisations, with news on the work of the Panel, to invite views and to send invitations to events. We may share this information with Defra and the Forestry Commission for the purpose of contacting people with news, opportunities to comment and invitations to events relating to forestry and woodlands.”


Comments (2)

    Thanks for putting this up. I’ve registered my interest in being a part of the report.

    As I said to them, there is massive chunk of bikers who aren’t a member of any organisation which differs from climbers and walkers that are represented by national bodies. They can go and talk to the British Mountaineering Council to talk to climbers, Rambler Association etc for walkers but to get in touch with a lot of us they need to work a little harder. Or really that should be WE need to work a little harder.

    Amazing that after all the fuss about protecting permissive access that Spelman hasn’t thought to include a single representative of either cycling or equestrian interests. Can’t imagine the Ramblers doing much to defend our use – unless we can persuade them that less forest access will mean more mountain bikers on “their” Rights of Way network!

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