- This topic has 16 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by buzz-lightyear.
-
12% of the country covered in woodland by 2060
-
buzz-lightyearFree MemberPosted 11 years ago
Nice email from my MP:
Following our previous correspondence, I’m writing today to let you know that my Lib Dem colleague David Heath, recently appointed as Minister for Forestry in DEFRA, has published the response to the Independent Panel Report on the Future of Forestry.
Selling off the nation’s forests provoked a massive response from local people, filling my postbag, email inbox and dominating my local surgeries for weeks. Of all the correspondence I have received since I was elected as your MP in 2010, saving our forests remains the single largest subject matter.
My Lib Dem colleagues and I led the campaign to reverse the original decision in Parliament; you may recall my 35 point letter to the previous Secretary of State on this issue, letting her know exactly how many local people had contacted me to express their concerns.
I am delighted that the Minister’s response, published on Thursday 31st January, makes it clear once and for all that the public forest estate will stay in public ownership in perpetuity. The ludicrous plan to sell off 15% of the estate has been reversed, and not only has the budget that was to be cut as a result been restored, but more money has been found to ensure the proposals can be funded properly.
However, the response goes much further than that. It recognises that keeping the public forest intact and free from political interference is essential to ensuring that free public access to woodlands can be guaranteed for generations to come. It proposes that ownership of our forests will be held in Trust for the nation, with clear objectives to protect its use. Learning from the depredation caused by Ash Die-Back Disease and other diseases, the response suggests there will be greatly enhanced protection against disease.
The response also seeks to improve the management of woodland across the country and to encourage its use, both to boost the local economy and to provide opportunities for recreation, for community involvement and for education. It commits the Government to continuing to expand tree cover – the suggested target is to see 12% of the country covered in woodland by 2060; for those who appreciate our history, that’s as much forest as was present in the year 1300 AD – during the reign of Edward I, who is remembered for his brutal suppression of the Scots in the film ‘Braveheart’.
People rightly care passionately about the future of our woods and forests. I hope they will feel confident that the Liberal Democrats in Government are not only restoring woodlands to their former glory, but protecting them for generations to come.
My party would like to hear more about your opinions on Britain’s forests. I would invite you to complete our quick survey here: http://www.libdememails.co.uk/forests. You are, of course, able to elect not to receive any communications on this subject from the Liberal Democrats by clearing the boxes on the survey to indicate this.
Common sense and public pressure have won the day and I am confident that now, we have a sensible and positive future for our woodlands.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me on this vitally important issue. Please do not hesitate to do so again on this or any other matter.
bristolbikerFree MemberPosted 11 years agoIsn’t 12% still quite low in comparison to other countries?…. and was that target set before or after all the ash trees are dead and cut out.
Sceptical-of-politician-saying-the-right-thing-with-no-idea-if-it’s-achievable… moi? 😉
DracFull MemberPosted 11 years agoIsn’t 12% still quite low in comparison to other countries?.
Well yes depending which ones you compare it with.
Any increase would be better but I hope it’s not all rubbish pine forests.
zilog6128Full MemberPosted 11 years agoI suppose they will mostly be whatever trees is most commercially viable? That said the Woodland Trust have a site near me which is 140ha and the long term plan IIRC is to have that be mostly English Oak which would be awesome.
konabunnyFree MemberPosted 11 years agoas much forest as was present in the year 1300 AD – during the reign of Edward I, who is remembered for his brutal suppression of the Scots in the film ‘Braveheart’.
Jesus wept.
wwaswasFull MemberPosted 11 years agowhat konabunny said.
looks like a cut and paste straight out of some political parties head office. “Let’s make it sound all warm and cuddly”.
rusty90Free MemberPosted 11 years agothe suggested target is to see 12% of the country covered in woodland by 2060
Brilliant. Woodland cover of the UK is already 13%.
Woodland Area, Planting and Restocking – 2012 editionoldnickFull MemberPosted 11 years agoTo be fair creating a point of reference for Joe Public is no bad thing, of course we elite cyclists should have our own standard form letter referring to various sticks of ‘design classic’ furniture and wood burning stoves 🙄
WackoAKFree MemberPosted 11 years agoI hope it’s not all rubbish pine forests
This, the current swathes of pine forests are pretty much devoid of wildlife.
globaltiFree MemberPosted 11 years agoThere’s already a hell of a lot more woodland than there was even 50 years ago, one look at an old black & white photo will tell you that. Wood was cut for pit props, charcoal and a whole lot of others uses, which have died out now and trees are flourishing all over the place.
Zulu-ElevenFree MemberPosted 11 years agoI’d rather see 8% of well managed woodland than 12% of the shite we’ve been doing recently.
And I lay that allegation particularly against the stuff I see in the South of England, with huge tracts of neglected sterile coppice with no cutting plan, and seemingly no actual harvest taken off it (you see most of it cut, stacked and left to rot, rather than being used for charcoal or bodging or brooms or any of those traditional products.
Loads round me, on wildlife trust land, that I feel that if they would give me a licence I could happily quit my job and spend the rest of my life bodging in a bender, and make the woods a better place for wildlife in the process
BigButSlimmerBlokeFree MemberPosted 11 years agoLiberal Democrats in Government
lost all credibility there I’m afraid
zilog6128Full MemberPosted 11 years agoLoads round me, on wildlife trust land, that I feel that if they would give me a licence I could happily quit my job and spend the rest of my life bodging in a bender, and make the woods a better place for wildlife in the process
You get my vote then! Have you actually tried approaching them with a business plan or are you just having a whinge?
This, the current swathes of pine forests are pretty much devoid of wildlife.
Don’t know whether there’s anything in this or it’s just coincidence but round my way the pine-y areas seem to make better trails as they drain better, are less swampy, etc.
bristolbikerFree MemberPosted 11 years agoLoads round me, on wildlife trust land, that I feel that if they would give me a licence I could happily quit my job and spend the rest of my life bodging in a bender, and make the woods a better place for wildlife in the process
As someone who gets their firewood from coppicing a large wildlife trust woodland:
– letting the public into the woods with a chainsaw is a liability nightmare. Making sure all the tickets and certificates are up to date, who is trained to fell what size tree, etc and keeping everyone pulling in the same direction, with regards to best-practise and the overall conservation aims, rather than just clear felling their patch) is a considerable headache. Everyone seems to have an idea of ‘how it should be done’ and seems to do that, rather than sticking to the agreed plan. People eh 😉
– There is generally little/no commerical value in the wood, but for old coppiced woodland to be restored it needs to be managed/pay its way, hence a bit of Catch 22 situation. Our wildlife trust recognise that, for the overall woodland diversity, the only way they are going to manage to fell sufficent timber is with groups like ours (which effectively do it on a cost-neutral basis – we pay for the insurance, chainsaw tickets and all other costs and get the wood for free), but the trade off is the hastle of doing it (see above) which for a wildlife trust is considerable/a considerable risk on their part.
– The number of mis-informed dimwits out for their Sunday afternoon constitutional who winge like (insert offensive term here) that you are ‘killing their forest’ while passing is incredible….. especially as I have a chainsaw and they have some walking poles and a yappy dog 😉
buzz-lightyearFree MemberPosted 11 years agoas much forest as was present in the year 1300 AD – during the reign of Edward I, who is remembered for his brutal suppression of the Scots in the film ‘Braveheart’.
Yeah I winced a bit too!
I like remark that it’s already 13% so this is a reduction!
The topic ‘12% of the country covered in woodland by 2060’ is closed to new replies.
