I suspect that in years to come the story of the out-pouring of campaigning around the future of England’s forests will be told many times, a tale for the grand-children. How a spontaneous rumble of concern built to a crescendo that swept away Government policy and had ministers fixed in its sights.
Big Society’s big shout.
The diversity of voices added strength (as well as complexity) and stirred up ideas about the nature of campaigning. Access, a sense of place – and who owns it, the future of the Forestry Commission, what about the wildlife – a tide of personal concerns. All under-pinned by a growing belief that the approach the coalition Government was taking was fundamentally flawed.
Stopping Government policy and forcing a time-out to consider the future is a massively impressive outcome – but is only a start.
The establishment of the Independent Panel on Forestry is the next chapter in this story – and we’re delighted that our chief executive, Mike Clarke, is a member in his personal capacity. He’s keen that as many of you take the time and trouble to make your views known.
Here’s the panel’s call for views and this is the email address that you can use to send them to the panel forestrypanel@defra.gsi.gov.uk . If you do submit your views (and you’ve got until the end of July) we’d be delighted if you could copy us in your comments at steppingup@rspb.org.uk
So if you are going to show us your views – it’s only fair if we show you ours, and here they are set out by our Director of Conservation, Martin Harper. In short, what’s needed is improved woodland management for rare and threatened wildlife – for birds like lesser-spotted woodpeckers and hawfinches. This will involve the protection, restoration and extension of our native woods and absolutely not forgetting the open habitats such as heathland, which have been the casualty of some forestry policy in the past.
And if the campaigning of the past months tell us one thing about England’s forests – they really matter to people, to you and me. Here’s a tale of woods I know. Central to the future of our forests is our connection with them – but I’m sure you’ll make that abundantly clear to the panel.
Follow me on twitter.