Ancient Woodland

[Sylvia]

BBC News - Owen Paterson backs ancient woodland 'offsetting'

 

"Developers could be allowed to destroy ancient woodland if they agreed to plant many more trees elsewhere, the environment secretary has suggested"

 

Is this a good idea?

Do 500 newly planted trees an hour away by car equal,say,1 acre of Ancient Woodland?

[Charlieh]

The guy is a complete clown, I mean what the hell is the comment about being about an hour away by car about? can most species ecologically linked to an already fragmented habitat easily travel up to 60miles

[David Humphries]

Ancient woodland is all about the 'time' it takes for the myriad of species within it to develop into the community.

 

Planting no matter how many trees can not add the time element in to the equation.

 

 

 

The ministers stance is so short sighted which sadly mirrors our general societal view of the world today.

 

.

[Sylvia]

Natural England - Publications and Maps : Ancient Woodland Inventory (Provisional)

 

Limitations of the Ancient Woodland Inventory

Only ancient woodland sites that were over 2 ha on the 1920's base maps are included on the Inventory.

 

Some of these may now be less than 2ha because of subsequent clearance. Woods that were less than 2ha on the base maps are not included even though some of these are ancient. The inventory is classed as "provisional" because it is under a constant system of review and update as new information is received or actual changes are recorded. If you have information that would help us to update the inventory please let us know."

[TGB]

Breathes there the man with soul so dead, as Owen Paterson

Who never to himself hath said,

This is my own, my native land!

Whose heart hath ne’er within him burned,

As home his footsteps he hath turned

From wandering on a foreign strand!

If such there breathe, go, mark him well;

For him no minstrel raptures swell;

High though his titles, proud his name,

Boundless his wealth as wish can claim

Despite those titles, power, and pelf,

The wretch, concentred all in self,

Living, shall forfeit fair renown,

And, doubly dying, shall go down

To the vile dust from whence he sprung,

Unwept, unhonored , and unsung.

[Brooklandsbob]

The worry is where is this going? the slime that run our country will have some self serving plan behind this announcement. Like they did with the " lets sell of all our woodland to the rich so that they can evade death duties and at the same time keep the plebs out" Idea!

No matter what party you vote for, none of them have the country and it's population's interests a heart, just their vested interests!

Mark my words this is just a fore runner to some dodgy scheme.

 

Rant over lol

[Sylvia]

Although eveywhere else in policy ancient woodland is considered "irreplaceable":

 

 

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/standing-advice-ancient-woodland_tcm6-32633.pdf

 

"Ancient woodland loss

 

Natural England‘s advice is that measures such as the provision of replacement habitat

which seek to address issues of loss or deterioration of ancient woodland are not

‗benefits‘ within the meaning of the NPPF. As discussed in Appendix 5, a ‗twin-track‘

approach allows such measures to be considered through, and without prejudice to, the

planning application and determination process. Where the benefits from a development

are deemed to outweigh the value of the ancient woodland to be lost, despite the policies

lending protection to ancient woodland, then the measures outlined below are examples

of those that might be considered on a case-by-case basis:

 

 Beneficial management of alternative sites

A proposal may be put forward to secure a long term management agreement on

an area of unmanaged habitat (often another ancient woodland nearby).

 

 Planting of a much larger, new woodland area

New woodland planting may have greater benefit where it provides connectivity

between areas of existing woodland or other semi-natural habitat."

[TGB]

Well said Brooklandsbob. PMs often have their real plans hidden beneath the shock-horror announcements. And oft these backroom plans, are more dastardly than the show in the shop window.

Edited January 4, 2014 by TGB

[Forest2Furniture]

So, what are we going to do about it?

 

90% of the people on here depend on trees and woodlands for their lively hood.

 

As a group we should be getting together with Natural England and the likes and start a campaign in the same way that happened when the same government knumpties wanted to sell of the woodlands.

[corylus]

Anyone know the EU position on Ancient Woodlands and development?