Forests under threat AGAIN !
 

Seems we have been here several times before. This unelected government again trying to sell off what does not belong to them. That is THEFT !
Please sign up.

Dear Paul,

Not again! There are worrying rumours of a behind-the-scenes effort to revive plans to sell off England’s woodlands. We may have less than a week to stop them and keep our forests safe for future generations.

Next week, the government's forest panel will publish a new report on the future of our woodlands. [1] Rumours are circulating that some panel members want to clear the way for a fresh sell-off. We’ve got a few days to persuade the rest of them to block this new threat to our beautiful woodlands.

Please add your name to the urgent petition now, and then forward this email to your family and friends. We’ll do an emergency delivery to each of the panel members before next Wednesday:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/keep-our-woods-safe

It's a bit depressing that anyone still thinks selling off England's woodlands is a good idea! But it's not all that surprising - the government forest panel includes vested interests from the private timber industry. [2] A huge people powered petition could help sway undecided panel members and make sure these vested interests don't win out.

Our woodlands are at their best at this time of year. Animals and plants are flourishing. A new generation of children is learning to ride bikes and climb trees. For those of us that live in cities and towns, woodlands give us a chance to slow down and enjoy nature. And for tens of thousands of people, jobs in forests pay their wages. [3] That's why last year, half a million of us stood together to stop them being sold off. [4]

The next few days are crucial to protect these beautiful wild places - please sign the emergency petition now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/keep-our-woods-safe

[I think this is for UK members only]

Today

Published: 8:09am, 4th July 2012
Updated: 8:47am, 4th July 2012

The Government has said it would not sell the public forest estate after an expert panel called for the 258,000 hectares of woodland to remain in public ownership.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman pledged that "our forests will stay in public hands", more than a year after she was forced into a U-turn on a bid to privatise England's forests following public outrage.

The Independent Panel on Forestry, set up after the outcry prompted by the bid to dispose of public woodlands to businesses, communities and charities, said the estate should remain in public ownership as land held in trust for the nation.

The panel said the Government needs to value woodlands for all the benefits they provide for people, nature and the economy and to invest in the public forest estate to avoid having to sell off woods to balance the books.

Responding to the report, Mrs Spelman said: "Our forests will stay in public hands. We will not sell the public forest estate. We'll be talking to all those who are passionate about our forests to decide how we will manage our forests for the future."

The Environment Department (Defra) also confirmed that the planned sale of 15% of the public forest estate, the most that can be sold off under existing legislation, would not go ahead.

The sale to raise up to £100 million had been put on hold while the panel conducted its inquiry.

The independent panel said the public forest estate cost around £20 million a year to the taxpayer - around 90p per household in England - but paid back an estimated £400 million in benefits to people, nature and the economy. The estimate does not include the intangible benefits forests provide such as connecting people with nature and preserving historic customs.

The Government must pioneer a new approach to woodlands which valued and rewarded management, improvement and expansion of woods for all the benefits they provide to people's health, recreation, wildlife and a sustainable economy, the panel said.

The report called on the Government and other landowners to give as many people access to woods as possible by planting trees and woodlands near to where they lived and providing incentives to increase access to existing wooded areas. Woodland cover should be expanded from current levels of 10% of England's land area to 15% by 2060.

:icon_eek: Nothing surprises me about this unselected tory party they rob from the poor to give to the rich, no wonder uk is being pulled apart when youve got a smarmy public schoolboy playing as being prime minister,


Namaste

norseman - This deforestation by humans seems to be a world trend. Add to the lumbering and development of land, natural fires that destroy forests you're left with no place for the wild to live. I feel that when we've reduced the planet's tree population so greatly that there is no longer enough oxygen being produced we will begin choking because we can't breathe. Maybe then humans will realize that deforestation wasn't such a good idea after all.

Blackraven

Things like this trouble me deeply. I take it as a personal violation.

I live in NY and one of my favorite places to go to if I can, are the Adirondacks. I was looking for a particular video on how they were 'dwindling' and being sold off and raped in many ways. This isn't it, I am not sure I even watched this one, but I will. There are many on this wonderful area. when people think of NY they seem to think it's NYC and that's it, and to me, NYC seems like some foreign country lol.

http://video.mountainlake.org/video/1192683553/

I couldn't imagine living in a place without forest.

People should think about what happened on Easter Island.

Fortunate enough to have this only a short distance from my home. Hopefully it will always be here.

I have to wonder about those lands that have been almost cleared of trees and the people who live there. Did their ancestors hate trees that much ? Is this why such people have lost touch with the spirits of their own ancestors and now attempt to associate with the ancestors of people who love and respect the forest ? Did the new religion play a part in this, deeming the deep forest as a place of their devil ?

Doubtful, I'll get a response.

:smile: There is a woods very near to my home if i want to connect to spirit thats the place to go its a very old place and has a preservation order on it so it willl never go it will be there,for other generations to enjoy,i live in a very rural place fields mountains and woods all around me,
i could never live in a concrete jungle.

Namaste

It is good that you have this nearby. Not having such in my mind would terribly effect a person, perhaps even make them 'wanninee'.