The Big Forestry Sell-Off... Good or bad...Thoughts

[TRADITIONAL LOGGERS]

Thanks. We have done public demos in various woodlands for a long time and needed a basic base to improve and continue this. I will keep an eye out for some Iron Age piggies. Have a look on Ecolots.

[RichardT]

Public understanding of forestry has certainly not been helped by the crassly poor level of press coverage of these proposals. The output from career hacks has been bad enough, but there's no excuse for the idiotic rabble-rousing from the likes of David Clarke, who really should know better..

 

<<..look after pigs in 100 acres of woodland undergoing restoration...>>

 

I hope you've had an easier time over the winter with your than we have with ours...

[dave fox]

Hi Taditional Logger

 

Spring, summer and autumn, I produce fruit and veg and look after pigs in 100 acres of woodland undergoing restoration. During the winter I assist in the hands-on tasks in the woodland; chipping, hoiking lumps of firewood about, replanting etc. Being a middle-aged lady, I tend to leave the chainsaw work to the younger, fitter guys, but can still wield one if necessary.

 

I have worked in areas where the public had a lot more access than the place I work now, and yes, people do ask what appear to us to be incredibly stupid questions. Personally, I have always enjoyed the opportunity to engage and educate people, although this can be massively time-consuming. I figure that's the price we pay for having jobs that make an awful lot of people envious. (Regarding cycle ramps: yes, we had similar problems and had to ensure custom-built facilities were in place to avoid (further) legal action.)

 

The UK comment was a tongue-in-cheek reference to your suggestion that farmers are free of criticism from the public. Farming and food production generate a lot of column inches in the UK, and a lot of discussion on radio/TV, and are the cause of a fair amount of direct action by campaign groups. The population probably discusses farming practices almost as frequently as it discusses what it would like to do to bankers.

shame we dont earn the same as bankers!

[zeroluke]

Its not simply that its being sold off that is upsetting most people. It is what will become of it when it is sold off that people feel threatened by. As with most sell offs by the tories, they see the money worth in things, not the value in what it actually is [ a lovely forest] - as do the [tory] firms that buy it off them. A 100 acre forest may soon become a theme park, shopping centre or housing estate and rarely a tree in sight. This is what threatens people and history has proved them right to be suspicious. As the coal mines, car firms etc are proof. You may say the trees are listed and protected, but only as long as who ever in power does not over rule or change the laws. Such as the laws on livestock keeping have been relaxed i.e animals kept in good conditions etc. These rules and regulations that were law have been over turned since the new government has taken over.

[chaffey]

As i have said on another thread about this sort of thing, I listened to a gentleman on the radio that has been involved with other transactions that have happened regarding woodland. His point was that there are only two or three types of people that will buy woodland. Firstly those that care about their environment so obviously will be looking after it and then those that want it as an investment for the family avoiding inheritance tax so will take care as it is a long term investment for their own family and lastly those that buy it for an investment to sell on. These people have to look after it otherwise they'll lose money so i did have to rethink my original take on what i thought. What's the worst that can happen? They won't let them clearfell as a covenant will cover this and that is just scaremongering so the worst thing that will happen is that Joe public will be excluded from these woodlands with the mountain bikes and foot traffic that compact the ground. Perhaps there will be less litter and used tyres etc left strewn around for others to pick up, so perhaps this could be a good thing for the woods!! Although the sad thing is that the price of timber will be on the up so will this be another situation where they sell the 'gold' at the wrong time and lose out on a long term investment? At the end of the day it comes down to management as private companies will makemoney from the woodland so the FC perhaps should have looked at how things were being run.

[Dave.G.]

As i have said on another thread about this sort of thing, I listened to a gentleman on the radio that has been involved with other transactions that have happened regarding woodland. His point was that there are only two or three types of people that will buy woodland. Firstly those that care about their environment so obviously will be looking after it and then those that want it as an investment for the family avoiding inheritance tax so will take care as it is a long term investment for their own family and lastly those that buy it for an investment to sell on. These people have to look after it otherwise they'll lose money so i did have to rethink my original take on what i thought. What's the worst that can happen? They won't let them clearfell as a covenant will cover this and that is just scaremongering so the worst thing that will happen is that Joe public will be excluded from these woodlands with the mountain bikes and foot traffic that compact the ground. Perhaps there will be less litter and used tyres etc left strewn around for others to pick up, so perhaps this could be a good thing for the woods!! Although the sad thing is that the price of timber will be on the up so will this be another situation where they sell the 'gold' at the wrong time and lose out on a long term investment? At the end of the day it comes down to management as private companies will makemoney from the woodland so the FC perhaps should have looked at how things were being run.

 

I am sure whoever buys it will look after it to the best of their ability for their own maximum gain. The fc looks after their woodland for everyone elses gain. I have BBQ'd on their land, my children have paddled in their streams and cycled their tracks. How can we put a price on this? My kids learnt to respect the country side from being out in it, try telling little Johnny to respect the trees behind those locked gates.

The more people go into the countryside/woodland the more it will be protected and are we not always saying "get the kids out from the tv or pc and get some fresh air" after all its good for them but the fc costs alot less than my local park and I have never seen a hyperdermic on fc land.

[Mesterh]

Is there a link as to whats being sold off and the possible costs or is it just in the process atm?

 

Sorry if its already been posted up, couldnt find anything on the FC website.

[RichardT]

All that's been published officially so far is the consultation document. It's on the FC site, or here at DEFRA:

 

Consultation: Future of the public forest estate

[Mesterh]

Thanks.

[Kraftinwood]

Hi, as with most things there are always opposing thoughts on various subjects.

I thought I would post the help they are going to cut our forest down e-mail and my reply, needless to say I didnt get areply but hopefully point made.

 

Subject: Re: Our National Forests are in serious trouble - please support the protest

Sorry to send this , but i felt outraged !

please sign the petition and send on if you feel the same.

thanks

Andy Webb

Subject: Our National Forests are in serious trouble - please support the protest

 

Dear All,

I don't normally send these sorts of emails, but I am absolutely sickened by the coalition government plans to sell off up to 50% of our national forests and I am inviting everyone with a concern for our natural environment to sign the 'Hands Off Our Forest' (HOOF) petition (link below).

 

38 Degrees | Save Our Forests

 

According to the Forestry Commission website (Forestry Commission - The Forestry Commission Estate in England), just 9% of England is covered by forest as compared to 38% (national average) in Europe. Not only are forests the lungs of our planet, the forests of England are a treasured part of the national heritage. Once sold off, and possibly cut down and developed, they're gone forever.

 

As many of you know, my partner and I live in the Forest of Dean. This is one of the oldest, most beautiful and most unique forest habitats in the UK. Government sell-off plans will hit the Forest of Dean hard, and we know from a friend who works for the Forestry Commission that at least 25% of the land has already been earmarked for sale. At the very best, the government hopes to make a pittance of £6 million from the total sale of forests nationwide over a ten year period. The economic rationale is deeply flawed, like so many of the reckless plans being put into effect by this government, and there is no accounting for the biodiversity that the forests support, and the spiritual pleasure and recreational enjoyment that they offer to visitors.

 

On Monday we joined the protests at Speech House in the Forest of Dean.

Forest of Dean protesters fight big woodland selloff | Environment | The Guardian

March for our forests | Laura Barton | Comment is free | The Guardian

 

People are angry, but their protests continue to fall on deaf ears. Please sign the petition - it takes just a few moments. We collectively need to make our voices heard and remind our government officials that they were elected by us to represent the interests of the people, not those of the banks and big business.

 

Finally, please circulate the Link as widely as you can. Numbers count!

 

Thanks,

 

Trevor H.J. Marchand

Professor of Social Anthropology

Research Tutor

DoS MA Anthropological Research Methods

School of Oriental & African Studies

Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square

London, WC1H 0XG, England

*************************************************

Hi I received your protest letter about the forests, whilst I share your concerns I understood from the News that public access will still be available if the forests are go into private ownership.

Notwithstanding this I have a question if I may ...............................

Where has all the protests been for the last 5 years, maybe more, whilst the forest at Guildford has been gradually dismantled each winter.

Do you know that if you walk to the far side of the once forest at the M25 fence it has been totally cleared and you can see the car park on the far side adjacent to the A3!!!. It is criminal and the only people profiting from it is no doubt the peoples pocketing their Christmas bonus from the sale of the wood each year!!.

Please just look at some aerial photos from say 7 years ago and ones from today there are hundreds and I mean hundreds of trees cut down and why?. It all started with some signs on a small heather area saying do not walk on the Heathers, next came a sign saying the non native trees were being cleared to make way for the heathers and butterflies, would you believe.

That in moderation was fine but just look what has happened now. So back to my question the sudden uproar about selling woodland with no doubt covenants which is the way Woodland Trust have sold land for years must be much better than the devastation reeked on Guildford Forest and that isn’t private land, if this is the result of Labour Government then I guess the current Coalition government may have got it right and its intentions are just being miss interpreted.

Please look for yourself and tell me how this has been allowed to happen, I hear all the time about sustainable forests, this is not its just rape and pillage, vandalism with no replanting, we should though have plenty of butterflies, Ha.

Regards Robert