These are Our Forests

This week, we learned of proposals to privatise many of our forest from public ownership. Two of the forest mentioned, were the New Forest in Hampshire and the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, whereas a proposal has been suggested by the Government for them to be run by a charity; this maybe a suitable alternative. However we have many charities holding out their hands for funds and with the cut in people’s own household budgets, many believe charity starts at home.

   If the proposal for selling to private investors goes ahead, I feel there’s need for some contracts to be drawn out with a lot of thought to protect these historical places of natural beauty, from over development and manipulation from its resources. But many contracts and agreements are often broken with disastrous consequences. So in reality it is best not to go down that road.

There has to be a plan to preserve the Forestry Commission and its workers who professionally look after the wildlife habitat, as well as the forest. This could come under threat with a private owner or developer who will just be out to get as much cash back as possible either from the timber resources or by over-commercialising with the tourist trade.

I know that more funds need to be raised to keep these places of beauty, but there must be protective guidelines to such ownership.

    These forests have been in existence for many millions of years and are our heritage, a part of us all tax payers who have contributed to preserve them. So the Government doesn’t have a right to sell them, especially to any foreign companies. You only have to see around the World, what some companies do to get wood.

    David Cameron must not make the same mistakes as Margaret Thatcher, by getting too carried away with privatisation. I remember when we lost many companies back in the 1980s and 90s, either by going to the wall (bankrupt) or abroad.

    There are many other ways of raising revenue for the up-keep of Forests and other areas of our Heritage as well as from the Private Sector, but we must have some sensible guidelines or the Forests as we know them could be lost for our life time.

   We have too many living off our state from other countries. We have too many wealthy thieves who take and could pay back including MPs and other wealthy people who have more money than they need to have. Maybe, if we did have a share scheme so that if the forests do start to run at a profit, whoever contributes more will get more in return. But this should be open to the British Tax-payers only, or if the forests were to be run by the charities, maybe more lottery grants could be considered. Where there is a will, there is a way.