The Kintyre Forum

Hi I know I have mentioned this topic before. The Government has plans to lease the Forestry Commission forests to private investment companies. The Scottish Minister for the Environment, Michael Russell MSP has said not one square inch of land will be sold. But if the lease goes ahead the land might as well be sold because it will be leased for at least 75 years and more than likely the lease will be extended time after time. I think this is a get rich quick scheme for the Government.

If the lease goes ahead jobs will be at risk. The state of forest walks will deteriorate. The ability to purchase firewood will cease to exist. The tourism in the local area will suffer.
The revenue from timber in the future will go to line the pockets of investment companies instead of the people of Scotland.

The areas that are ear marked for the possible lease are very large indeed (100,000 Hectares). That is basically the forests from level with and including Mull to Southend on the west coast of Scotland.
As most people who live in the area will already now that there are very few jobs to start with, these plans will just make it harder to find employment.

The Government is going to change the law so it can go ahead with these plans and intends to do this under the climate change bill.

I urge everyone to think how this will affect them and to respond by looking at

http://www.fctu.org.uk/scotland/Climate ... n1Sign.asp

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveourforests/

Remember these are our forests and as such need our action now

i went to the public meeting about this in Lochgilphead on friday and it was packed. There were no representatives there from the goverment, so no-one to argue the why's of this proposal (they were invited but didn't come)
argyll and bute council (with the exception of the two liberal demo people) have decided not to take a position in this and in my opinion are burying their heads in the sand, (shame on them, I say)

It was very apparent that the huge majority of people there (over 200 folk came, and ones were turned away cos the room was packed to the gills), were there to oppose this section of the climate change bill. To be clear the forestry and associated goups do not oppose the climate change bill but the sectioin that proposes to lease 25% of the forest for 75 years. The arguements given against this were well thought and eloquently put and many of these came from men and women in the street who enjoy the forest and care about its future.

It became apparent that to make our feelings heard in this case we have to :-

sign petitions (either online - see Henrics post for details, or on paper, there are petitions dotted aboput the place)

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MSP - this is the biggy, contact anyone in power you can think of - councillers, msp's, A&B council, let them know your concerns, this is the BIG way to make the difference.
If anyone has any email addresses that can get to these people quickly then would you please share them here.

I urge you to stand up and sort this before its too late and we lose yet another one of our great assets.

Hi Witchnettle. I was at the public meeting in Lochgilphead on Friday too. I have heard that there was 240 turned up. This was amazing given the short notice of the meeting. I think that people are just now becoming aware of the governments plans and some of the issuses. I felt that the meeting went very positively and hope that the government will listen to the local people. I do agree that we, as members of the public have to make the effort to contact councillors etc to get this part of the proposed Climate Change bill withdrawn. All I can see that lease will achieve will be raising cash for government to spend on projects in other parts of the country. I wonder when the meeting will be shown on the TV?

Henric

Hendric very kindly PM'd me some links to the Councillors and MSPs so here they are:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/ ... n-argy.htm


http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/yourcounc ... s/cllrlist

so if you have any interest in saving one of scotlands last great assets then please let them know how you feel

remember Confucius says "it is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness"
x

News release from the Council

Council Leader to Meet Minister over Forest Proposals

The Leader of Argyll and Bute Council is to meet the Minister for the Environment to discuss Scottish Government proposals to lease Forestry Commission land to the private sector.

Councillor Dick Walsh will be asking Minister Mike Russell to clarify a range of issues raised by the Government’s consultation paper on the future of Scotland’s forests.

Councillor Walsh said, “I am well aware of the concerns expressed by local people over the possible effects of these proposals, and in particular the impact of the proposal to lease 25% of the National Forest Estate in Scotland to the private sector.

“Given the economic and environmental importance of forests to the whole of Argyll, people are naturally concerned about any effect the proposals may have on jobs, on tourism and on the environment.

“The proposal on leasing, however, is only one amongst a number of important issues raised by the Government’s consultation paper, many of which will impact on current and developing local plans for the future of our forests.

“I will be seeking clarification from the Minister on all of these points and will ask the Council to take account of these when considering its response to the consultation paper.

“It is vitally important that we present a detailed and considered response, one which takes account of the wider issues of climate change and carbon reduction, and one which is in the best interests of Argyll, its forests and its communities.”

A more positive take on the government's proposals from Scotland's most senior academic forester - Andrew Cameron who runs the department at Aberdeen University.

http://news.scotsman.com/education/Why- ... 4767896.jp

The forestry provisions within the Climate Change Bill are to lease and not sell around 25% of the forestry estate. Forestry Commission jobs have been publically guaranteed by Michael Russell , Minister responsible for Forestry, with the extra investment in our forests increasing and not decreasing jobs. Public Access is fully protected under part 1 of the Land Reform Act (2003) and access and recreational use of forestry land will be fully protected by the terms of any leases.

No other Party has suggested any alternative other than the status quo and this has seen a steady decline of forestry jobs and a steady reduction of new planting. Michael Russell promised at the outset of the consultation to consider any alternative proposals or better, which is exactly the way that consultations ought to be conducted.

Indeed, it will be instructive to hear the views of Dick Walsh after meeting the Minister, compared to the wild claims of Alan Reid & George Lyon who really ought to know better.

As a Forestry student at the University of Aberdeen and a resident of - Campbeltown, I feel that the lease is a good proposal and would side with the views of Dr Andrew Cameron http://news.scotsman.com/education/Why- ... 4767896.jp Which have already been highlighted in the previous post.

From all the trips and site visits that we have done, it seems to me that the FCS cant cope with the recreation and amentiy objectives (that are being thrust down their neck from the Govt) and still produce commercial outputs of timber at a competitive price.

The forestry commission scotland seems to becoming a social commission and to be honest it would be better handing over the alot more than 25% in the lease.

"The forestry commsion is about as far removed from forestry as you can get " Recreation offcier in NE of scotland.

What do u think??

Press Release from the Council

COUNCIL WELCOMES FORESTRY ANNOUNCEMENT
Argyll and Bute Council has today welcomed the news that, following consultation, the Government’s proposal to lease parts of Scotland’s national forests to private companies will not be taken forward.

In a press statement made today, Minister for the Environment, Roseanna Cunningham, announced a package of measures to ensure that Scotland’s national forests make a bigger impact on tackling climate change.

Councillor Robert Macintyre, Depute Leader of Argyll and Bute Council and Spokesperson for the Environment said, “Argyll and Bute Council is fully committed to a programme of carbon reduction and to the development of renewable energy and we will welcome any measures which contribute to these goals.

““However, it has been our view, and that of many of our communities, that the leasing of our forests would not be helpful. So we welcome the news that the proposals for leasing will not go ahead.”

“I am looking forward to hearing the suggestions for maximising the potential of the national forest estate which the Minister refers to in her statement, and the council, I know, will be looking in detail at how it can support positive suggestions for the future.”