Save our Forests!

[joobjoob]

As you may know the government plans to sell-off of publicly-owned forests. You can read about it here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12257835

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/28/england-forest-sell-off-q-and-a

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/8287080/Forest-sell-off-could-leave-heritage-sites-in-hands-of-supermarkets-and-sleazy-bankers.html

If you want to protect common forests for our generation and the next, there is a petition outside the co-op today.

OR you may wish to visit the following websites for an on-line petition.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-forests#petition

If the gvt sells our forests, it assumes someone else can make a profit, why not for once, keep something to profit the tax payers! Our forests are priceless national treasures, once lost they can never be taken back. Please do something!

[acumenman]

Everyone who has sympathetic leanings should light a large bonfire, as a show of solidarity.

[KalamityKel]

Cheers joob! (tu)

[Twirly]

Thank you - this is an appalling idea

[Marmora Man]

A sense of proportion might be in order here.

Reading the actual government paper might also help - rather than the somewhat slanted media and alarmist pressure group articles.

See Parliamentary Briefing Paper

69% of all Britain's forests are in private ownership. The government (public) own 18% or 285,000 hectares. The paper currently suggests selling off 40,000 hectares - or 14% of publicly owned forests, so hardly a major shift. There will still be 245,000 hectares in public ownership and operation. Additionally, much of the "sale" will not include the freehold - merely long leasehold, so the fundamental ownership remains public.

If all 40,000 hectares are sold to private owners, and there is a big drive to encourage charities and social enterprises to buy, this would increase the proportion of Britain's forests held in private hands from 69% to 71.6%. This cannot be described as a privatisation of a national asset - merely a slight shift in ownership profile. It is likely that much of any sell off will be those forests with the most commercial value, which implies forests of pines and other fast growing species for wood pulp and other commercial purposes. So the good, open and ancient forests such as the New Forest and Forest of Dean, should remain public - and if the management of these two forests were passed to a charity / social enterprise it is quite possible we would see greater access and public use and lower costs to government.

Add to this that only about half of the publicly owned forest is open to the public (much of it is commercial forests) Much of what is open are horrific Forestry Commission pine forests - which are essentially dead in terms of major biodiversity - I've walked through those on the England / Scotland border fairly often and they can be soul destroying: no bird song, no wildlife and no undergrowth - just dark, dank with ruler straight tracks and no views.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy walking through forests, cycling through forests and would not want a landscape bare of forests. I just don't think this government proposal is going to fundamentally alter the balance of any of these opportunities or the shape of the landscape.

PS: For those believing this proposed sale is an example of Tory / Lib Dem Coalition "nastiness" as implied by Narnia (see below) should note that the initial thinking was developed under the previous administration.

Edited to add the PS

[Narnia]

Seems they will sell anything to raise funds.What's next.........the beaches?

[nashoi]

It is likely that much of any sell off will be those forests with the most commercial value, which implies forests of pines and other fast growing species for wood pulp and other commercial purposes.

These trees will be felled and sold, then replanted, with the new owners claiming generous public subsidies, so where's the advantage to the taxpayer? Even if all of the rest of your post is accurate MM I'm not sure I see the point.

[acumenman]

Narnia wrote: Seems they will sell anything to raise funds.What's next.........the beaches?

They would like to sell off the gold reserves too, but they have already done that when gold was at an all time low.

[Marmora Man]

Nashoi,

Altho' parts of the estate make a profit, other parts don't so there's a net cost to gov't. By selling off part of the estate they expect (hope?) to reduce or eliminate that net cost and raise a decent capital sum toward reducing the current gov't deficit.

[wjfox]

joobjoob Wrote:

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>

> http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-forest

> s#petition

>

Signed. :) And I've shared the link with my friends & family.

[DJKillaQueen]

I just despair at why everything has to be used for profiteering anyway. 40,000 hectares will still mean that forest local to someone will be lost.

[Tarot]

I have contributed to various "Save the forest" schemes.

So what are you supposed to believe now they are doing this, are there scams everywhere.

I know a woman who was dedicated to collecting stamps for the blind dogs charity,untill it was revealed on t,v. that

the organisation that ran it was making loans from the fund to workers who wanted a deposits for houses.

After that she stopped collecting.

Millions gave money when Diana died,all they managed was that stupid water thing in the park, and a pirate boat

A giant maze would have represented her life better.

Profiteering everywhere,I for one will think twice about trying to save the forests.

Why cant the National Trust buy the forest rather than yet another country estate. Symbols of Class Divide.

[Narnia]

I was implying no such thing MM. The last lot sold the gold reserves. If I was implying anything it is just that whoever is in government will raise funds whatever way they can and people need to keep an eye on how exactly they go about it.

[Tarot]

There is unrest in most parts of the world, as we are seeing this past two weeks.

The divide between rich and poor as never been more so obvious.

The show of wealth by middle class people and celebrities is sickening,to people who are struggling to make ends meet.

Then to attack them by taking away things like health care, education,pensions,homes.

The cost of living ,travel and fares.

This is how the Russian,and the French revolutions began,by those in power lording over the people.

Now they want to take lands and forests, that were gifted to the people.

The people are waking up all over, old dictatorships are over.

Lets hope they will have democracy better than we have, we cannot even have referendoms on issues about Europe. or a vote of no confidence in this bi-govermentThey probably want to sell wood to China and India.

[Marmora Man]

Apologies - suspicion of all government is a proper state of mind. Partisanship is not and I obviously read too much into your remarks.

MM

Narnia Wrote:

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> >

> I was implying no such thing MM. The last lot sold

> the gold reserves. If I was implying anything it

> is just that whoever is in government will raise

> funds whatever way they can and people need to

> keep an eye on how exactly they go about it.

[mockney piers]

Private eye have a pretty good summary of why this is a rubbish idea.

Private buyers make money off trees planted and cared for out of the public purse and are then eligible for grants for their stewardship that quickly render any windfall into a rapid loss.

Meanwhile fences up and more and more of our heritage is denied us.

This is what happened at the last sell off and I see nothing new in the proposals that render this time round any different.

[Tarot]

Yes more things are being denied to us, like Ramblers walkways, in quite a lot of places in the country.

The ramblers asscotiation is trying to stop the loss of accsess, but they are up against it.

This summer past I was unable togo on one of my favourite walks, with fences blocking paths.

Some places will be closed to twitters next

I thought the idea last year was to plant more trees for the sake of the world,(its lungs they called it)

Contradictions all the time.

There was a time, when people cared about what they built and left intact for future generations, too many greedy gits

running the show now.

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