To want to scream at everybody GO SIGN THE FORESTRY PETITION!!!!!

[MilaMae]

The map of the forests up for sale is in the news section-it's horrifying and it's your children who are going to loose out-forever.

Our local forest in Devon is adored by all of us locals and every weekend is full of bike riding children. Many people have worked so hard and we've now got pump track,a gorgeous cafe,Go Ape, an art gallery,stacks of gorgeous trails to walk and bike along.

Because of the huge amount of fast cars on our roads kids don't get out on their bikes enough even down here in Devon. The forest is the most perfect place for kids to do exercise without realizing,get dirty and enjoy nature.

Last week my 7 year old was cycling yards ahead of us and a deer ran across the track in front of him,he'll never forget it.

If the gov get their way our lovely forest(and yours) will be sold off as some Centre Park theme park,golf course or worse. Who can afford Centre Park holidays????Yes not many, so this amazing facility will only be available for the rich or a select few. At the moment they're ours and the gov are trying to steal them from under our noses. When they do our children will have lost them -forever.

So GO SIGN NOW!!!!!

I would if I knew where it was

Go to the In The News section,there is a thread with a link and a very long list of all the forests under threat.

Facebook campaign, 38 degrees.

I've already signed after finding out about it on another forum.

Just signed

I will not be signing - I loathe these MN "campaigns" (although at least with this one there is small chance of a woman's family getting thrust into the media spotlight on the back of everyone's "good intentions").

The land should be sold off asap and the deficit reduced accordingly.

Right on Pascoe. Not to forget that online petitions almost never work.

I'd rather sell the forest than cut DLA or other services for the most needy.

I've signed. :)

Test

I'm sure I read somewhere that even if all Brtain's forests were sold off, the money raised would pay the interest on the deficit for one day. So hardly likely to raise the DLA budget.

Anyway. I have signed. I live in one of the forests threatened with sell-off.

If they try I shall move into a tree nearby

YANBU
I have signed, and am badgering my friends to sign too!

From Tory MP in response to email about this:

"...The Government are committed to shifting the balance of power from 'Big Government' to 'Big Society' by giving individuals, businesses, civil society organisations and local authorities a much bigger role in protecting and enhancing the natural environment and a much bigger say about our priorities for it.

By including enabling powers in the Bill we will be in a position to make reforms to managing the estate. We will consult the public on our proposals later this year, and we will invite views from a wide range of potential private and civil society partners on a number of new ownership options and the means to secure public benefits. We envisage a managed programme of reform to further develop a competitive, thriving and resilient forestry sector thet includes many suitably managed woods operating as parts of viable land based businesses.

The Government will not compromise the protection of our most valuable and biodiverse forests...

...This will be a new approach to ownership and management of woodlands and forests, with a reducing role for the State and a growing role for the private sector and civil society. At the same time it reflects the Government's firm commitment to the continued conservation of the biodiversity and other public benefits which forests and woodland provide. These aims are not incompatible with alternative models of ownership, or our committment to the natural environment."

Right wing ideology as environmental policy.

I hope more houses are built on them - families need homes more than your son needs to see a deer.

Signed some while ago having been told of this on another forum. Despite the fact that I am the least lentil-weavy, save the trees, eco-type imaginable this is important to me.

Unwind, take a look at how many houses stand unoccupied in every town- I can see at least four on my street. Take a look at how much brownfield land is standing idle. Then say you'd prefer to concrete over the places that make this country worth living in.

there are at least 762,000 empty homes in this country

maybe they should be put to better use than standing empty

there's no going back once we lose our forests

Signed.

Unwind, would concrete the entire counry?

NB - This is affecting forests in England, not Wales and Scotland.

Personally, I don't have any problem with it at all. Forestry is a resource and a crop in the same way that a field of barley is although obviously the timescales are very different and much longer. Nobody would seriously suggest we nationalise the entire agricultural land holding so why should forestry be any different?

As well as its role as growing a harvestable commodity, it has also become a recreational area, which is what the OP seems solely concerned about.

If the forests are sold, I see no reason at all why they cannot be bought by groups such as wildlife trusts, bird watching groups, the National Trust, groups of local residents,etc. Looking at the website, there are some big names supporting the campaign. Trudi Styler or Annie Lennox (well known forestry experts ) could easily stick their hands in their pockets and support a community bid to buy a particular forest that is close to where they live.

DEFRA have said that public access will be maintained .

There are already many privately owned forests and woods that are managed well and support good biodiversity. And we have a patchwork of land ownership in this country which already makes room for a wide variety of not for profit landowners who manage land for a variety of users.

To say that they will immediately become a nuclear waste dump/housing estate/industrial park just because they are privately owned is ridicolous. British countryside is among the most protected in the world - planning law, National Park status, AONB, SSSI etc will continue to apply.

Hard choices are being made - if this is a choice between forests and a library or a police officer on the beat or the NHS, then the forest is low on my list.

I doubt they'd build on our local forest the access road would be a nightmare, miles away from any services at the top of a huge hill.

We don't need any extra houses miles away from anywhere on a heavily used local resource.Our local town is the place where extra houses get built as people want to be near shops.

If they didn't just sell the timber it would be a holiday park/ golf course or fenced off. It would be a resource stolen from the masses for a privileged few to enjoy.

As nanny has said their are plenty of other places to build new houses in locations people actually want to live in.

Also re the deficit the money the new owners will be able to claim in grants will cost more thus saving buggar all.

Personally I think the more people that know about this the better.I t won't just stick online as people will get more involved locally as they discover their local forest is under threat.I had no idea until yesterday about any of this then only found out by chance after tripping over a protest display in town.

There are thousands of empty homes, second homes etc. Not relevent.

i only pointed it out in the context of upwind's suggestion that new homes were more important

it isn't a choice between forests and anything at all as this is not a money making exercise - it is an ideological decision. The Conservative party are the party of landowners - what a surprise that they get to buy more land

It's also not just about seeing a deer it's about getting proper exercise and fresh air. Where else can kids ride their bikes for miles before they're ready to cycle on roads or run/walk,make dens? Cycling for 2 hours in such a huge green space can't be compared to a 2 minute circuit round a park.

We keep being told by successive governments that our kids need more exercise. Stopping families from using local forests to get said exercise is going to make that goal ten times harder.

A ten minute go on swings in the local park just doesn't compare.

MilaMae my mum and step dad used to run the crepe van at the forest you are talking about in Devon so we used to go all the time, it's used by so many people too. I'll sign, i'd hate to lose it, and ditto for the other ones around the country.

Blue I loved those crepes!!!!!!!

On a Sat and Sun I've never seen soooo many kids(and adults) getting so much exercise-enjoyably. It's lovely to see hoards of families out just enjoying themselves together in the fresh air and doing themselves good.

It would be a travesty if that ended.