Save Our Forests
New Forest petition info to stop future sell offs.

Save Our Forests New Forest and Woods Information

Fantastic planning news for the New Forest!

At last sense has prevailed! Despite this daft governments attempt to slowly erode our countryside and allow developers to get rich on the backs of environmental and wildlife destruction the New Forest has achieved exemption. Find out more from this Daily Echo article of this fantastic U turn.

What was the Government's decision?

You can read the Government's official response and more importantly what the Woodland trust thinks about this response and how will it affect us all and more importantly our woodland. My reading of the outcome is that we still need to keep our eye on this one. You can use the "I'm in" button to ensure you always get the most up to date info.

My New Forest Save Our Forests information will allow you to vote in petitions which are running, just by clicking on the following:-

• Woodland Trust Save Our Forests
• 38 degrees petition is an organisation for "people, power, change" and so far has nearly 500,000 signatures against this proposal! Please add your vote to reach 500,000 now! Thank you

Here are just some of my reasons for concern over this latest government proposal. It only relates to my experience of living within the New Forest UK National Park.

Much of the New Forest is ancient woodland

If you view its environmental worth then it is on a par with a rainforest

Biodiversity is threatened by private owners building more leisure and recreational facilities - if £100 million will be raised the future purchasers will want a good return for their investment

Public access may be restricted

The New Forest is shaped by the active conservation measures of the Commoners

as well as Forestry Commission and private land owners.

• The animals who freely graze and roam are viewed as a nuisance to some residents in properties within the New Forest - this is one reason why there are so many "Hit & Run" accidents involving animals each year - tourists generally cause less fatal animal accidents
• The Forestry Commission costs the taxpayer £10million per year, roughly 30p a year per taxpayer - (yet over £1billion has been paid out in Housing Benefit overpayments last year). The Forestry Commission is close to being self financing through timber sales - then why change it????
• Defra has been quoted as saying maintaining the "status quo" was not an option - in other words it cannot remain as it has done for 1000yrs
• This is to allow a "Big Society" approach to managing our futures - how can this have got this far already? Does the Big Society have to accept what the "Big Government" brings in and just accept it??? I think not - we are and always have been a democratic country.
• If they know they will raise £100 million by this first sell off and a further £370million by 2019 have they already got buyers for these forests? Who are they? How did they hear about the possible purchases?
• Leave the New Forest in the capable hands of the Forestry Commission, forget Big Society. It just the latest branding a whiz kid has thought up. The New Forest is up against enough pressure just to maintain its present status quo - remember that term? It is a national treasure and once gone is irreplaceable.

Please add your comments (and photos) to the New Forest Save Our Forests form below and share your thoughts with others.

Back to Home