Bluebells

bluebells

bluebells

Bluebells in the garden, an Ancient Woodland indicator species, started coming out about ten days ago.

Destruction of Ancient Woodlands

Lower Woods – Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

People will say that’s no good for our generation but, over the long term, that is an enormous increase in the number of trees. — Owen Paterson, Environment secretary

Owen Paterson once again demonstrates his ignorance of the environment and why he is unfit to be Environment Secretary.

Large parts of the country is under water, flooded, due to wave after wave of storms to batter the country. His response, fire more than 1,500 people at the Environment Agency, the lead agency responsible for flood defence.

But this is not the only act of crass stupidity from this arrogant imbecile.

• He has attacked people for opposing GM crops
• Pushed a mass killing of badgers
• He has appointed a property developer to English Nature (or whatever name it now has)

The latest act of crass stupidity, as reported on the front page of The Times, is to relax the constraints on destruction of Ancient Woodlands. He proposes destroying Ancient Woodlands so developers can make a fast buck, replacing each tree cut down, with one hundred trees.

Ancient Woodlands, pre-dating 1600, are all that remains of the post-glacial forest cover, one of our most valuable habitats.

In Lincolnshire, often in the corner of fields, small woods, their name gives them away, fox covets. These date from the Enclosures, have little wild life or ecological value.

Contrary to the ignorance of Owen Paterson, a wood is more than a collection of trees, it is a complex ecological system.

I have found trees in Ancient Woodlands, a thousand years old.

Ancient Woods are not only important for their ecological value, they have archaeological features, ancient wood banks, saw pits and many other interesting features.

Owen Paterson calls cutting down Ancient Woodlands, ‘biodiversity offsetting’, an oxymoron.

• Ancient woods face axe in drive for homes
• Destruction of ancient woodland ‘highly unlikely’
• Ancient woodland could be destroyed to make way for building in ‘offsetting’ push
• Ancient woods under threat by demand for more homes
• Campaigners attack proposals to allow destruction of ancient woodlands

It was not so long ago, the evil CondDem government tried to sell off all our woodlands for development. They met huge public opposition and were forced to back down.

• Britain’s woods and forests for sale
• Widespread public opposition to sell-off of public woods and forests

Far from grubbing up our ancient forests, what we need to see is rewilding of the countryside.

Update: Please sign the petition to Save our Ancient Woodlands.