Progress for England's Forests

Our forests have been waiting a long time for practical action - especially on issues like tree health which is particularly urgent at the moment due to ash die-back disease (which I blogged about here).

So it's good news that the Independent Panel on Forestry has completed its final report, which has been welcomed across the sector. The 31 recommendations in the 'Forests Report' offer a framework for action, promising a safe and strong future for England's forests. 

Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, will publish the Government's official response in January - and he could decide right now to adopt the recommendations in the Report as a whole.This would allow the Government to focus its response on an action plan and will kick-start discussions about its implementation.  Please "Tell Owen" that he can take this big step forward for the future of our forests today.

We need to show the Government that we are still as passionate about our forests and woodlands as we were last year when we defeated the threat to sell off England's public forests.

We have until 30 November to influence this. You can also take part in DEFRA's public survey - it's very short and you can let them know your views on:

• What ‘a Forest Services body’ should do and not do 
• The future funding of the Public Forest Estate  
• Access to woodland in your neighbourhood
• Urban tree planting schemes

Although the Forests Report only covers England, it may impact on wider forestry issues and public forests across the UK. People in parts of the UK outside England can take part in "Tell Owen" and you can add your own comments about your region.

Read more on the Woodland Trust website. 

Read more about forestry in Scotland on the Forestry Commission Scotland website.

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and I have another haiku on Daily Haiku. 

As ever, red text hyperlinks to other webpages where you can find out more.