The power of spring flowers
Guardian Unlimited | 08 Apr 2011
Spring in Britain is one of the best shows on earth - Laura Barton describes the sweet smell of this season. Here in the deepest, darkest corners, the roots are spreading, fine threads silvering the soil, a delicate macrame of pale tendrils and wet earth. Above, the leaf litter stirs, shoots press upwards into cool air, and there comes the soft unfurling of petals, the rush of scent rising.
 United Kingdom | Forests and Woodlands | Health and Environment

Why Britain's woodlands are so precious
Guardian Unlimited | 08 Apr 2011
Britain's woodlands are more than places of weekend refuge. Jeanette Winterson untangles the enduring appeal of the forest. A woodcutter had three sons. One could chop down an oak tree in a day. One could plank the timber in a week. The third was so small that he just gathered acorns. "And what is the use of that?" demanded his father. "You never know when you might need a forest," said the boy.
 United Kingdom | Forest Plantation and Afforestation | Forests and Woodlands | Local Issues | Loss of Vegetation

MP raises concerns about wood sustainability
Epolitix.com | 16 Mar 2011
Last week's announcement on the Renewable Heat Incentive was an attempt to turn attention to decarbonising the heat sector. However, it has serious ramifications for the forest industries, introducing another incentive for biomass energy generation - largely produced from wood in the UK.
 United Kingdom | Forests and Woodlands | Governance | Industry

Letters: When the rot set in at the Forestry Commission
Guardian Unlimited | 22 Feb 2011
I've worked in the commercial forestry sector for more than 30 years, and I welcome John Vidal's contribution to the current debate (England's forests are not out of the woods yet, 19 February). A more vibrant Forestry Commission (FC) is essential to the UK's forest industry; and yes, its commercial woodlands can and should finance amenity woodlands for public benefit. But how?
 England | Forests and Woodlands | Governance | Policy

Forest Sell-Off Plans Abandoned By Govt
Yahoo! News | 17 Feb 2011
The Government has abandoned plans to sell-off England's forests to private companies amid growing criticism.
 England | Environmental Awareness | Education | and Public Participation

U-turn is victory for people power
Guardian Unlimited | 17 Feb 2011
The 38 Degrees campaign has been a success, not just for forests but because it proves that people power works. More than 500,000 of us are celebrating our part in the biggest campaign win since this government came to power last May. David Cameron seems to have completely dropped his plan to sell...
 England | Biodiversity Conservation | Environmental Awareness | Education

UK postpones forest sell-off
Reuters | 11 Feb 2011
The controversial sale of 15 percent of Britain's publicly owned forests is being put on hold while the government looks again at issues like public access and biodiversity.
 England | Economy | Encroachment on Ecosystems | Environmental Awareness | Education | and Public Participation

National Trust signals return to 'radical roots' over forest sell-off
Guardian Unlimited | 09 Feb 2011
Dame Fiona Reynolds criticised forest sell-off plans, invoking the spirit of the trust's radical Victorian founders. The National Trust has given notice it is returning to its radical roots in a way that will make government ministers nervous, as it invoked the spirit of its firebrand founders in criticising plans to sell off England's forests. Dame Fiona Reynolds, the trust's director general, said the government's plans were "full of holes" and "thin on detail".
 England | Economics and the Environment | Economy | Forest Quality | Forests and Woodlands | Governance | Habitat Loss

The Conservatives were the designated defenders of tradition.
Guardian Unlimited | 08 Feb 2011
Attacks on woodland, the World Service and British heritage will leave voters outraged. Labour must not miss this chance. If there was one thing you could rely on in this fast-changing world, it was that the Conservative party would be conservative. Everything else might be upside down, but at least you could trust the Tories to defend those institutions that were timelessly and for ever British.
 England | Forests and Woodlands | Governance | Policy

Spinning in No 10? It's just not cricket ... | Simon Hoggart
Guardian Unlimited | 05 Feb 2011
Remembering the days when Clement Attlee was more interested in bowling than briefing? Isn't it a reflection of modern times that the prime minister's appointment of a spin doctor has attracted as much attention as any new cabinet minister might? Rightly so - Craig Oliver will probably be more...
 England | Environmental Awareness | Education | and Public Participation | Forests and Woodlands