“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more.”
John Burroughs (1837-1921), American Naturalist.
'The Government wants to sell all publicly owned forests. This can’t happen'
Further to my post the other day about the Government's nasty plan to sell off state own woodland, Twitter (#saveourwoods) has once again provided insight and information. There's now a well thought out and well put together resistance gathering speed with a raft of ways to get involved and to protest.
The Government have proposed a Bill that will allow them to sell all publicly owned forests – the Public Bodies Bill clauses 17 and 18. Buyers could include foreign energy companies, private organisations, charitable trusts, companies and individuals for shooting rights, leisure developers and many more.
- We believe our trees, woods and forests are too important to be sold to the highest bidder.
- We believe our woodlands and forests play an essential part in the biodiversity of our country.
- We believe our forests are our natural heritage and it is in the public’s greatest interest for them to remain under public ownership.
Maybe some of our forestry land isn’t managed well in terms of biodiversity (as some “mono-culture” farmed pine plantations could be deemed) but it has its benefits in providing a source of timber to our construction industry among others.
Maybe some of these pine plantations could be harvested and replanted with native deciduous woodland to start the long road back towards an ecologically sound and biodiverse environment – beneficial to both wildlife and humanlife.
What ever happens – we would rather our forests remained as publicly owned lands so that WE can decide how they could be managed and not a foreign energy company, a rich landowner expanding territory, a leisure developer for shooting rights or holiday parks.
If you feel the same way – sign the 38 Degrees petition then go here to find out how to contact your MP."
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