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

[TRADITIONAL LOGGERS]

Pigs! That's fine work. We used to breed a herd of Iron Age ones (Tamworth/Wild Boar Cross) I am in the process to purchase a large mixed woodland to use for sustainable income and at the same time educate the general public. Some children from cities have never seen a wood.

 

I know the "Chase" well which was a Royal Hunting area then taken over by the MOD and now a muddle but a good site for the APF Show.

[LynBugLover]

Yeah, the pigs are just fab. We have pure-bred Tamworths but I'd love some Iron Age ones - the piglets are amazing.

 

I love the idea of a sustainable woodland with educational facilities. Lots and lots of luck with that one.

 

Glad to have discovered lots of common ground.

:-)

[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