I HAVE sent the following letter to the Minister

responsible for the Public Bodies Bin.

'Please will you exempt the Forest of Dean (together

with those woods described by Lord Mansfield in 1981 as

the continuous woodlands commonly regarded as part of

the Forest of Dean, namely, Highmeadow, Clearwell and

Hope Woods) from the power of disposal caused in Clause

17 of the Public Bodies Bill?

'I am concerned that if disposal of forest land is

allowed then the areas which contain the most diverse

wildlife such as "Forest waste" will gradually be lost to

commercial pressures until they are too small to be viable

for wildlife. These areas containing quite rare wildlife are

already isolated and without work to keep them linked

together it is likely that the biodiversity they contain will

simply disappear. This habitat maintenance needs to be

done on large scale. If the woodlands are split up then

such work becomes even more difficult to achieve than it

is already.

'We need this line on the ground (ie the exemption)

for long term protection and stability.

'I am also concerned that the restoration of all our

ancient forests to reverse the damage caused by

inappropriate planting will be put at risk if forests are

sold.'

– David Dewsbury, Coleford.