I WOULD like to respond to the information presented in

the Review by Mark Harper, MP, in which he defends the

current proposals to sell off our national forests.

I am appalled by this proposal, and affronted by the

suggestion that this is an 'exciting opportunity for

community ownership of forests and woods.' I'm sorry, Mr

Harper, but last time I looked we already owned these

forests, so why exactly is it you are suggesting we should

buy them?

His reasoning is that 'The people who live closest to

the Forest and have the strongest ties to it will do a better

job of looking after it than people in an office in

Whitehall.' Apart from the massive insult this implies to

the hard-working stewards in the Forestry Commission,

currently managing our forests on our behalf, is this, in

fact, a pledge that the forests will only be sold off to local

charitable trusts? I think not.

I am outraged by the shameless peddling of the idea

that we, as local communities, have an opportunity to take

over custodianship of our national forests when, as tax

payers, we already own and manage them.

I'm now speculating whether or not the inevitable

changes to the laws and regulations on conservation are

introduced before or after the big sell off.

– Kari Long, Lydney.