DEFRA

Government Warned on Public Forest Estate: Get the Economics Right!

22.01.2013

an economic analysis carried out for Our Forests confirms that both the Public Forest Estate and the Forestry Commission represent excellent value for public money.

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Politics and the Forestry Panel

12.01.2013

As the Government’s response to the Independent Panel approaches it’s clear there is only one way out of the political mess the Conservatives landed themselves in. That is to understand, accept and take action to turn the panel’s views into policy.

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Public Forest Estate – Open Letter to DEFRA & the Treasury from the Forests Campaigns Network

10.01.2013

We are expecting the government to respond officially to the forestry panels report at the end of this month. In anticipation of this the Forest Campaigns Network has written an open letter to ministers Owen Paterson, David Heath and George Osborne

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Autumn Statement – Go for Growth – Go for Trees

05.12.2012

At a time when leadership, vision and confidence are all important surely we cannot take the risk of being the country that can afford Trident but can’t afford it’s Trees.

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Children and Nature

25.11.2012

“letting children enjoy the landscape in their own way can be just as effective as any exciting day out. If we encourage them to love & value their landscape, then hopefully we can not only kindle a lifelong passion but help to shape how the next generation will treat these issues

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Forestry Commission – you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone

13.11.2012

My message to our new environment ministers is this:

Please, DON’T put an NGO between us and those we trust at the Forestry Commission. Particularly over something as important as tree disease and forest resilience to climate change.

Please, DO give the Forestry Commission the resources and freedom it needs to work with us, the public, to advance our multi-purpose forests into a financially and ecologically sustainable future we can be proud to leave our children.

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Press Release: Forest Campaigns Network calls for United Action on Ash die-back tree disease

04.11.2012

The FCN calls on ALL organisations – Government departments and agencies, forestry professionals and businesses, the horticultural industry, charities, forest groups and the public – to work together to fight this disease and protect one of our most treasured native species.

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Forest users tell the government: fund and run our forests properly!

21.10.2012

This is what forest users in East Anglia are telling the government – we want our public forests to be run and funded properly so we can all enjoy and benefit from them. Tell them what you think, too!

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FC/DEFRA Forestry Working Group – Keeping the Dialogue Going

13.10.2012

Mark Funnell, Head of Communications for Forestry Commission GB and Tony Williamson, Leader of DEFRA’s Forestry Team introduce the government’s forestry working group & update us on where they are in their work, inviting everyone to enter into dialogue with them so we can all secure the future for our forests we want.

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National Forestry Stakeholder Forum – erm.. where is it?

30.09.2012

The fight to protect our English forests continues. Somethings not right. Where is the promised National Forestry Stakeholder Forum? Where is the campaign groups hello from the new ministers?

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Forest Campaigns Network (FCN) welcomes engagement for the Future of our Forests

18.09.2012

FCN welcomes the engagement we have had with the DEFRA/FC working group to date and look forward to working with them further as part of the crucial process in determining how our woods and forests will sustainably deliver the triple bottom line (good for our economy, good for our communities and good for our environment).

We also look forward to welcoming the new team of environment ministers and extend our best wishes for their work in this important area of public policy.

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England’s Woodland Culture: Forestry Panel Report Stakeholder Meeting – 10th July 2012

13.07.2012

An historic event that punctuates a pivotal moment in our forests history! The future of our forests and trees has changed forever…

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SoW Response to Independent Forestry Panel Report

04.07.2012

“I am convinced that without a living discussion, based on facts about our forests, we will be less able to meet all contrasting goals. I am also convinced that we will never come to a final answer. This is not necessarily a problem since it is the discussion itself that is important.”

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Our Forests initial response to Independent Panel on Forestry’s Final Report

04.07.2012

The Bishop’s report – like the Curate’s Egg – very good in parts, with some ‘runny’ bits…

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Meeting of forest campaigners and Lord Taylor, forestry minister – 2 July 2012

03.07.2012

Statement from the forest campaign groups that attended a meeting at DEFRA with forest policy makers… or …How the meeting went!

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Stakeholder or Shareholder; the great ‘greenwash’ party that is Rio+20

19.06.2012

“..we are all in this respect indigenous people fighting to protect our cultural heritage. We all have a right to our landscapes”.

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Our Forests Requests Defra Internal Review

29.11.2011

Our Forests request an internal review of Defra’s refusal to provide us with certain information, as asked for in our FOI request

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The public’s woods and forests – who met who, when, to talk about what…?

29.07.2011

Our Forests has put in a Freedom of Information [1] request to find out which organisations and/or other bodies have had or are having any discussions with officials as to the possibility of their taking on the ownership and management of any of England’s public woods and forests, as part of the Government’s stalled ‘disposal’ plans for the public forest estate.

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I thought I’d lost our trees…

30.05.2011

Hen imagines our British Isles without The Oak to make it whole… Phytophthora Ramorum

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Forestry Commission 25% Cuts – Details

25.05.2011

*UPDATED 26/05/11* Download the FULL details here: FC-Cuts-Presentation-230511.pdf The Forestry Commission will be cutting 250 jobs and the 12 districts currently covered by the Forestry Commission will merge to form 5 or 6 districts. In simple terms… by 2015 our Public Foresters will be looking after larger areas with 23% less of a workforce.  All […]

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