Proposed Sale of Our Forests

[The Grand Wazoo]

.......or 'If you go down to the soon to be flogged off public asset today, you're sure of a big surprise'.

So what do you folks think of the proposal to dispose of one of our nation's most loved and well used public resources?

It costs a pittance to run - £10 million a year.
Public opposition to this move is something like 86%


If you care about this, then please contribute to the public consultation & don't let your thought be constrained by simply answering the questions that it asks - make additional comments where you can.
Download or open a copy of the public consultation document PDF (http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/PFE_Consultation_WEB.pdf/$FILE/PFE_Consultation_WEB.pdf)for use as a reference document to help you to respond online (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pfe-englandconsultation).

[Rare Bird]

.......or 'If you go down to the soon to be flogged off public asset today, you're sure of a big surprise'


Where are the teddy bears gonna have their picnics nar!

[Alex_UK]

Hmmm... "I believe it makes sense to look at what alternative models of ownership or management for existing state-owned forestry might look like" - but I'm not sure why... without reading the whole document (yet) it strikes me that given the state of the world, there are bigger fish for the Government to fry than worry about this...

[The Grand Wazoo]

As a forestry professional, I have lots of moans about the Forestry Commission, but this has to be one of the worst proposals yet from our great & glorious leaders.

The Forestry Commission was created in 1919 in order to avoid the possibility of our potentially isolated island nation being short of timber in a time of urgent need, like another war - a strategic resource. Like any other resource it needs to be managed properly (and not just for butterflies, birds and bicycles).

"It's all part of the big society" they tell us. "We want local community groups and Parish Councils to buy the forests"
.......but we already bloody own them!

Have you seen the price of land lately? How many Parishes have the cash to buy a forest? They're going to be too busy running the flaming libraries, bus services & such like that this bloody shower have absolved themselves of the responsibility of looking after, to be out raising cash to buy and manage woodland.

If this proposed sale was a way of raising some low impact tax revenue as well as capital, then I could see how it might be attractive to a Conservative mind.

......except that in 1987, the Tory government removed forestry from the tax system, so that income tax from timber sales and inheritance tax for woodland investments were both abolished. Hmmmm, now let me see who could possibly gain from that?
The nation?
Nope.

The landowning idle rich?
.....errrrrr, well yes actually.

Have we heard a murmur about a reform to the tax laws in order for our land owning 'elders and betters' to do their bit to help the country climb out of the pit that another set of greedy self serving bastards have got us into?
.......nope.

In case you didn't quite catch that: If you own a commercially managed forest then you do not pay income tax when you sell your products.


Still, I'm sure Dave knows best - we're all in it together, after all!





Over and out.

[Macca]

Chris

I think the intent behind the forestry sell-off is to raise a one off lump sum to assist in 'paying down the deficit'. Of course the reality is the money will just be squandered along with the rest of the billions they steal from us every year. All governments, no matter what party leads them, squander money. It is the only thing governments do well. For that reason I am against this policy.

However I take issue with the idea that 'we' already own the forests. If that where the case then where is my tax free income from the sale of timber from nationally owned forests? I have not had a cheque from them recently, have you? The State owning the forests is not the same thing as 'us' owning the forests. Don't be fooled by Marxist claptrap.

One final thought - If the forests were to be bought by parish councils and other local consortiums, and not big business and wealthy landowners (say, for instance, 100 AoS members all clubbed together and bought a chunk) - then 'we' would truly 'own' the forests and we would directly benefit from the tax free income...

[Beechwoods]

This is a bad idea for sure. All those who work with forests know that the Forestry Commission manage on a pittance, but they have the expertise and scale to ensure that forests are managed so they can be enjoyed by future generations. Very few private landowners have the scale, interest or experience to keep on top of what is needed, and those that do, sadly tend to do it for commercial reasons that exclude a lot of the public benefit and access we get from/to FC managed environments.

From what I've read it won't even save any money.

There are better things to be doing to reduce the deficit.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

I think it's crazy ... They were saying on question time (true or not I don't know) that the forests actualy cost nothing ... I'm not sure were they get the revenue from mind??

I don't blame the government... They are Tories, they don't know any better ...
I blame the people who voted for them thinking they would make sensible decisions on how to get this country out of the shit ... HA!

Check out this guy ... He's the money man ... He said we shan't let our plans get "blown off course by the weather" ... You make your little jokes you slimy turd ... Whilst the rest of us suffer!
I know its a bit out of date ... But look how little knowledge of the situation he actually apears to have ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12275973
I can't view it on my iPhone, but if it's the full version I saw live ... He doesn't answer any of the questions ... He just says the same thing over and over...

[The Grand Wazoo]

However I take issue with the idea that 'we' already own the forests. If that where the case then where is my tax free income from the sale of timber from nationally owned forests? I have not had a cheque from them recently, have you? The State owning the forests is not the same thing as 'us' owning the forests. Don't be fooled by Marxist claptrap.


The tax free income from the sale of timber, and up to now the sale of any land has been reinvested in the forest estate and your 'cheque' has been the ability to go to, and enjoy using the publicly owned woods (without being charged for it) every day of your life......so far.

[goraman]

We gave all of our beautiful state parks to the U.N. to help the U.N. fund them selves.
Now the state parks are very run down and no one go's there any more because they keep raising the price.You just can't afford to go!
And the U.N. still votes ageinst the U.S. kicking us in the teeth most of the time.
The Chinee,arab world and russians own the U.N. but don't support it.
There is a big move here to stop funding them.

I'm sure the Saudis will buy your parks,there buying everything here.

[Barry]

This might be of interest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12428814

[Beechwoods]

Looks like good sense has prevailed!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12488847

[The Grand Wazoo]

Yes, it was rather ill-advised & badly conceived. I'm not against the private ownership and management of woodland per se (it's provided me with a job for most of my working life so far) but what was being proposed was just crazy.

[Barry]

Looks like Nick has beaten me to it! Good news nonetheless!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12488847