News - Divers at top forge (Thurgoland)

The South Yorkshire Trades Historical Trust, the charity set up by volunteers to preserve and maintain Wortley Top Forge, Thurgoland, has started work on safeguarding the supply of water which powers the three working water wheels at the only remaining heavy iron forge in the country, now run as a museum.

In the recent dry summers, the water supply has not always been sufficient for demonstrations of how the forge operates to go ahead. As the first step in establishing a plan to protect the water supply, the Trust has commissioned Jones Kingswell Partnership, specialists in the preservation and restoration of historic structures, to carry out a survey of the whole water management system. This runs from the weir across the river upstream of the forge, along a channel which feeds the water into a small pond or dam, where it is stored until required for turning any one of the three water wheels in the building below.

As the survey is being conducted on structures containing water, the underwater inspections have been carried out using a trained diver. The Trust has also commissioned Groundwork Dearne Valley to investigate the ownership of the various structures forming the water management system, and the land upon which they are located, and to manage the project. This initial feasibility study is being funded by the East Peak Industrial Heritage Support Programme, which is jointly funded by English Heritage and the East Peak leader Programme (with funding from Defra and the European Union).

From: http://www.looklocal.org.uk/detail.php?id=2499

Woodland Survey - Independent Panel on Forestry – Call for Views (DEFRA)

The Independent Panel on Forestry would like to hear your views on forests and woods in England, and what this part of our landscape can and should provide, now and in the future. This call for views is the start of an ongoing dialogue with everyone who is interested in forests and woods.

The Panel has been set up to advise Government on the future of England’s forests and woods by April 2012. Our terms of reference, which you can see in full on the webpages, state that we should advise “on the future direction of forestry and woodland policy in England”.

This includes, but is not limited to, the work of the Forestry Commission, forests and woods in public, private and charitable ownership, the economics of forestry, public benefits such as well being, access for leisure pursuits and the role of forests and woods, and related open habitat, in the wider natural environment.
This ongoing dialogue will work in a number of ways, including site visits and web activity. We will develop the best way to engage people through the Panel’s work over the coming year. The Panel will draw on existing information and previous Government consultations but will not be limited to the questions and issues asked before.

We want your help with understanding:
•what forests and woods deliver for people, communities, nature and the economy;
•what it is about forests and woods that people value so much and why; and
•what works in the practice and can be repeated in other locations.

We would welcome your views and ideas on any aspect of forests and woods. The following list of questions may help frame your response. It would be helpful for us if you could respond under these broad questions.

Question 1 – What do forests and woods mean to you?
Question 2 – What is your vision for the future of England’s forests and woods?
Question 3 – What do you feel to be the benefits of forests and woods to:
a) you personally;
b) society as a whole;
c) the natural environment; and
d) the economy?
Question 4 – We would like to hear about your suggestions of practical solutions and good practice which can be replicated more widely.
Question 5 – What do you see as the priorities and challenges for policy about England’s forests and woods?

Please capture your ideas in a maximum of four pages, to reach us by 31 July 2011.

Practicalities

Please send your response to:
E-mail: forestrypanel@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Secretariat to the Independent Panel on Forestry Defra Nobel House 17 Smith Square London SW1P 3JR
Do you want to be kept in touch with the work of the Panel?

If you would like to be added to our mailing list and keep in touch with the work of the Panel, please reply with the details listed below:
Name:
E-mail address:
Organisation (if applicable):
Location (if applicable):

Whether you are interested in the whole subject or specific issues (please list):

We will keep these details on a database to enable us to contact individuals and organisations with news on the work of the Panel, to invite views and to send invitations to events. We may share this information with Defra and the Forestry Commission for the purpose of contacting people with news, opportunities to comment and invitations to events relating to forestry and woodlands.
What will happen to the views you send us?

We will use the responses throughout the work of the Panel and will give an overview of what you have said in our progress report in the autumn. Regular updates and information on the Panel’s work will be available on the Panel’s website.

When this call for views is completed we intend to put a copy of all the responses in the Defra Information Resource Centre at Ergon House, London. Also, members of the public may ask for a copy of responses under freedom of information legislation.

We would encourage people to share their views widely and engage others in discussion. If, however, there are particular reasons you do not want your views - including your name, contact details and any other personal information – to be publicly available, please say so clearly in writing when you send in your views.

Please explain why you need to keep details confidential. Please note that if your computer automatically includes a confidentiality disclaimer, this will not count as a confidentiality request. We will take your reasons into account if someone asks for this information under freedom of information legislation. But, because of the law, we cannot promise that we will always be able to keep those details confidential.

Thank you so much for your contribution.

You can find out more about the Panel’s work at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/forestry/panel/

News - Society joins fight to save Robin Hood's forest

Britain’s oldest national conservation body is fighting to save one of England’s most celebrated forests from being sold off.

The Open Spaces Society this evening threw its weight behind a campaign to save Nottinghamshire’s public forests, including Sherwood Forest, the site of Robin Hood’s legendary battles with the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The society pledged its support in the growing campaign against the coalition Government’s plans to privatise Forestry Commission land in England.

Speaking at a gathering of a local history forum this evening, OSS trustee Jean Macdonald said: “Nottinghamshire and the east Midlands have fewer open spaces than many parts of the country, because the inclosure movement, back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, bit hard and deep.

“Large areas of common land were stolen from the people.

“So Nottinghamshire’s remaining open spaces, public woods and forests are of special importance, for recreation and refreshment. Places like Sherwood Pines and other woods, many of which are part of the ancient Sherwood Forest, are of immense public value.

“There is increasing evidence that access to green spaces is vital for both mental and physical health.  The society is opposed to the sale of any publicly owned woods or forests unless the existing level of public access – or better – on foot, horse and bike, is guaranteed in perpetuity.

“The Government’s current proposals for selling Forestry Commission land do not provide those guarantees, so we are opposed to them.

“In any case, industry sources suggest that these sales are likely to raise less than half the money that the Government is hoping for, so they are a complete waste of time in the current financial climate.”

Sherwood Pines, at 1,335ha (3,300 acres) the largest single tract of forest open to the public in the East Midlands, is home to many mountain bike trails.

And though there are many theories as to the real identity of the mediaeval hero Robin Hood, the people of Nottinghamshire and Sherwood Forest have claimed the man who stole from the rich to give to the poor as their own and the Major Oak, a tree aged up to 1,000 years old in the forest, is reputed to be the outlaw’s hideout.

From: http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2011/02/15/society-joins-fight-to-save-robin-hoods-forest

News - English forest sell-off put on hold (location not Specified)

Sales of 15% of England's publicly owned forests are to be put on hold while the criteria for selling them are re-examined, the government said today.

The move follows widespread criticism of proposals by ministers to offload the remaining 85% of England's public forest estate to timber companies, charities and local communities.

The proposed sales of 15% of the forests announced in last year's spending review will not go ahead until a review aimed at "significantly" strengthening the protections given to the woodlands is completed, the environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, said.

Reacting to the government's announcement, David Babbs, executive director of campaign group 38 Degrees said:"It's welcome news that our people-powered campaign has pushed the government to postpone the start of the sell-off for at least a few months. But if David Cameron hopes the fuss will now die down, he's going to be disappointed.

"We will keep up the pressure as long as the government is still pushing through a law that allows them to sell-off up to 100% of our forests. If Cameron really wants to show that he is listening, he will now stop pushing through the legal changes that pave the way for privatisation. As long as those laws are being pushed through, our forests are still in danger."

Some 493,680 people have now signed the petition against the sell-off. Campaigners hope to hit half a million signatories in the coming days.

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/feb/11/english-forest-sell-off-on-hold

A small victory for the people of this country but really not good enough 15% of ALL the land the DemCon government are selling to be put on hold!, There will still be more loop-holes the government will hope to negotiate in order to dispose of its assets.  Hopefully next weeks Doncaster Libraries proposals will meet the same fate

News - Viking site under threat (Birklands)

AN HISTORIAN who helped find a Viking meeting post in Sherwood Forest has voiced her disapproval at the privatisation of the nation’s woodlands.

For centuries a certain mound in the Birklands, north of Edwinstowe, had archeologists stumped. That was until five years ago, when a group of enthusiasts discovered its true heritage.

Lynda Mallett was part of that team and is now concerned the ancient monument – one of only a handful in Britain – could be lost following the Government’s decision to sell off the land.

She said: “Whatever private owner takes it on will not be interested in finds like this, they will just look at it as something that will get in the way.”

“They will not want people walking around their land, they are not bothered about special trees or archaeology.”

“It is our land, our heritage, and they are stopping us from accessing it – it all belongs to us and there are things still to be discovered.”

Known as Thynghowe, the mound was used during the Viking age as a place where people would come together to resolve disputes.

Bassetlaw MP John Mann labelled the sale as “environmental vandalism”.

But Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: “We will bring forward amendments to the Public Bodies Bill to create a strengthened framework to safeguard the natural and social capital our forests provide now and for future generations.”

“This would apply to the powers of sale, lease and management of the public forest estate.”

To have your say on the future of Thynghowe, Birklands, Sherwood Pines and the rest of the country’s woodland visit www.defra.gov.uk or email Mr Mann on mannj@parliament.uk

From: http://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/news/local-news/viking_site_under_threat_1_3061632

 

Survey - DEFRA The future of the public forest estate in England

For everyone wishing to help keep our historic and ancient Sherwood Forest in the public domain DEFRA have launched an online survey so you can have your say on the general Forestry Commision's future.

If you have the time please fill the survey in.  Remember - Once its gone ITS GONE!

The Survey is located at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pfe-englandconsultation?dm_i=6A4,CVVT,O8TFB,10O0U,1

English Forests to be Leased Out (Sherwood Forest)

Around 18 per cent of England's publicly-owned forests - which the Government had planned to sell into private hands - are to be offered on 150-year leases. 

Environmental and countryside campaigners led nationwide protests against the planned sell-off, warning that the future of ancient woodlands could be threatened by developers or timber firms and that public access could be curtailed.

A range of celebrities, from Dame Judi Dench to the Archbishop of Canterbury, urged Ministers to think again about the sale, describing it as "unconscionable". And a poll carried out at the weekend found 75 per cent of those who responded were against a sell-off.

Now the Government's decided that the land won't just be sold off to the highest bidder - and wants charitable trusts, community and other local groups to take a role.

The consultation document calls for heritage and community forests with considerable public benefits to be protected, by asking charities to take them on. Forests with a commercial value will be leased to private operators, but public access and other rights will be preserved under the terms of the lease.

Ministers said they'd listen to all feedback before reporting back in the summer - and today the Evironment Secretary Caroline Spelman said it was time for the Government to "step back and allow those who are most involved with England's woodland to play a much greater role in the future...and we will make sure that public access is maintained, and biodiversity protected."

"We are not going to sell off our heritage forests to the highest bidder, we are not going to remove public access to forests - there will be strict rules in place to prevent that happening." Prime Minister's official spokesman

But the compromise means the Government will raise far less cash than it would have done under its original plans - with the value of leasing woodland estimated at between £140m and £250m.

The chair of the Forestry Commission, Pam Warhurst said the plans would require "a fundamental shift in our thinking and how we work".

The organisation was one of the few quangos to survive the Government's axe last year. Some of its functions are expected to be scaled back - but it will continue as a regulatory body, while providing advice on a range of environmental, social and economic issues.

However it'll lose its estate management role - and more than 80 per cent of its 1,200-strong workforce are currently employed in running the estate.

Staff numbers were set to be cut as part of the Government's efficiency savings - although today Defra said it was too early to say what the impact on jobs at the commission would be.

Downing Street played down fears over the future of the forests.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We are not going to sell off our heritage forests to the highest bidder, we are not going to remove public access to forests - there will be strict rules in place to prevent that happening.

"There is a consultation. We are going to have that consultation and listen to people's views and then come to some conclusions."

From: http://www.channel4.com/news/english-woodlands-to-be-leased-out