I wrote about my family’s experience of just one Forestry Commission wood here. The close connection between forests and so many of our lives is one of the reasons the prospect of proposals for a sell off have mobilised such vigorous and effective campaign.
I could have picked other personal links with the Forest estate, my first encounter with pied flycatchers in Cumbria’s Grizedale Forest, my first (and only) pony trek in Cropton Forest on the edge of the North York Moors or woodlarks and nightjars in Thetford.
It’s been a busy weekend in the media and on the blogs – our Director of Conservation, Mark Avery, has been in the thick of it commenting not only on the forest consultation and the news that it looks as though the potential disposal of National Nature Reserves is not now on the cards. You can catch up here and here.
2011 was always going to be a pivotal year for our environment, reform of the planning system in England, reform of the Common Agricultural Policy across the EU, the need to make up on 30 years of stalling to get an effective system of marine protected areas and important climate negations in Durban at the end of the year.
Add to that one of the most intense periods of public inquires we have faced (starting with Lydd airport expansion in just a few days time) - 2011 is set to be a pivotal year for nature and the environment. Has it ever been a more important time to step up for nature?
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