Save the UK ancient forests now!

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02/02/2011

Last week the UK Government started a consultation over the future of the forests in England owned by the Forestry Commission, including plans to sell many of them. Invisible Dust is supporting The Woodland Trust which has responded by launching their biggest ever campaign: Save England’s Ancient Forests.

You can help by

1. Signing the petition
Under 18? Please get a parent/guardian to sign the petition on your behalf.

2. Forwarding the details to your friends and family

3. For more information please see The Woodland Trust

Thank you for taking action!

More info:

Sue Holden, chief executive at the Woodland Trust, said: “We are disappointed that there is no commitment to restore damaged ancient woods currently in public ownership. If these sites are sold, the current proposals cannot guarantee their restoration, one of the most significant contributions to wildlife conservation in a generation. 


“Ancient woodland needs better protection than it currently has; as the equivalent of the UK’s rainforest it is unique, irreplaceable and our richest wildlife habitat. Whilst we note the Secretary of State’s proposition that safeguards for all woods will remain in place and “could be buttressed further”, our initial reading of the consultation leaves us unclear as to the Government’s proposals about how increased protection could be delivered. 


“There are no specific questions asked about the overall effectiveness of existing protection measures. The main suggestion which Government is putting forward is the use of leases which will allow some degree of control and protection over public benefit in all types of forests. This is a proposal which we welcome, although we are disappointed that ancient woods are not treated as a category for special consideration in the categorisation of the estate.

“While we fully support the concept of community ownership, we don’t believe that the charitable sector can be the solution to future care of all of the publically owned heritage woodlands, as it will not have the resources to manage these for decades into the future without substantial and sustained government funding. We don’t believe the government has properly considered the feasibility of this option.