Forests Campaign Media Coverage
The campaign to stop the sell-off of forests in England is generating lots of media from right across the country. You can check out the latest coverage below. If you find any more please let us know and we'll add them to the list!
National Coverage
- The Telegraph - "It is the policy, not the trees, that is crashing down"
- The Independent - "Our climate isn't the only green concern"
- The Financial Times - "How can Spelman beat Robin Hood?"
- The Guardian - "Forest sell-off: MPs under pressure to vote down plans"
- The Economist - "A revealing fuss about forests"
- The Independent - "Environment Secretary under fire over forest sale"
- The Financial Times - "Dissent grows over forestry sell-off plans"
- The Daily Telegraph - "Caroline Spelman looked like a shy woodland creature as she tried to defend the sale of forests"
- The Guardian - "Letters, Roots Manoeuvre"
- The Telegraph - "Out on a limb over woodland sell-off" - "ministers are now in danger of getting lost in the woods."
- BBC News Online - "Wales won't sell off forests', says minister"
- Daily Mail - "Forests are not for affluent weekenders from the City"
- The Independent - "Lib Dems call for forest sale re-think"
- The Guardian - "Communities not getting a say in how forests are managed"
- The Sunday Telegraph - "Save our forests, say celebrities and leading figures" "In a letter published today and signed by almost 100 dignitaries, the Coalition sale is branded as 'unconscionable' and 'ill-conceived'"
- BBC The One Show - VIDEO
- The Guardian - "Huge majority oppose England forests sell-off, poll finds"
- The Independent - "Lib Dem MPs threaten rebellion over forest sale"
- The Telegraph - "The Coalition shouldn't throw our woodland on the quango bonfire"
- The Guardian - "If nationalising forestry was a disaster, an unthinking sell-off would be worse"
- Bloomberg - "UK won't sell its 'historic forests', Spelman writes in Times"
- The Telegraph - "Our forests are a precious asset"
"David Cameron promised to make his government the greenest ever. We worry that this is not the best way to go about it" - The Guardian - "Our forests are in danger and we must claim them back"
- The Telegraph - "Forest sell-off: Some questions answered"
- Reuters - "Forests set to go private under sell-off plans"
- BBC Radio 4 - "You and Yours" AUDIO
- The Guardian - "England forests sell-off: Government outlines plans"
- The Telegraph - "Sale of Rigg Wood could herald forests' future" "We don't know what the future could bring, these woods could be sold into private ownership and the owners have the right to do all sorts of things"
- The Independent - "Celebrities voice forest privatisation fears"
- The Guardian - "March for our Forests" "The UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe. If the Government proposals come to fruition, we could soon have to live with even less"
- The Mirror - "Stars campaign to save our forests"
- The Daily Mail - "Historic forests won't be sold-off: Tourist honeypots to be given over to charitable trusts"
- The Guardian - "Letters: Forest sell-off has no debate or mandate"
- The Independent, Johann Hari - "For Sale - Cameron's Green Credentials" "...forests that remain will be less well maintained and harder to access"
- BBC News - "Survey finds opposition to privatisation of forests"
- The Today Programme - "Who owns our forests?" AUDIO
- Private Eye - "Forest Chumps"
- The Guardian - "For sale: all of our forests. Not some of them, nor most of them - the whole lot" "the plans to sell-off all state owned forests are unwarranted, unwanted and unworkable"
- BBC News Online - "Huge sale of public woodland in England planned" VIDEO
- The Sun - "Growing up I could run through woods all day - we MUST preserve forests for future generations"
- The Guardian - "Privatising English forests could 'cost millions in lost revenue"
- The Telegraph - "Don't sell our woodland walks" "The most audacious, and controversial, sell-off ever contemplated - the privatisation of Britain's wild places"
- The Observer - "We Can Transform Our Countryside"
- Channel 4 News - "Forests sell-off: 'We want to protect them'"
- BBC News Online - "Forest of Dean rally over sell-off fears"
- The Guardian - "Forest of Dean protestors fight big woodland sell off" "...objectors say the selloff is short-sighted and fear that woods will be bought by developers and energy companies who will limit access to trails and seek to fell as many trees as possible for a quick profit"
- The Guardian - "Labour finally takes notice of plans to sell English forests"
- The Mirror - "Condems plan to sell-off England's forests" "Once a company has bought a forest it will be able to start cutting trees down after Eric Pickles, the Secretary for Communities and Local Government, made it easier to get planning permission"
- The Guardian - "Forest of Dean sell-off angers locals"
- The Telegraph - "Vince Cable: New Forest must be protected"
- The Independent - "A magnificent forest. But the Government may wield the axe" "In July, it is the loveliest of landscapes exploding with exquisite life. And this, the Government would have us believe, is a commodity, the same as bricks or six-inch nails"
- The Guardian - "The great forest sell-off"
- BBC News Online - "Forest of Dean sell-off proposals campaigned against" VIDEO
- The Guardian - "Ask Leo & Lucy: Would our forests really be worse off in private hands?"
- BBC News Online - "Lincolnshire woods could be sold"
Regional Press Coverage
- The Brighton Argus - "Lewes MP refuses to throw "toys out of the pram" over forests sale"
- The York Press - "250 campaigners against forest privatisation"
- The Northern Echo - "Forest sell-off campaigners flock to wood"
- This Is Cheshire - 'Karen sets out to save our forests"
- Eastbourne Today - "Charity can't run New Forest"
- Reading Post - "Forest sell off sparks furore"
- Ludlow Advertiser - "South Shropshire Wildlife Trust opposes forest break-up"
- Birmingham Mail - "Government scraps plans to sell off nature reserves"
- This Is Bath - "MP gets hundreds of letters over forest sell-off plan"
- Northampton Chronicle & Echo - "Please don't sell off Salcey Forest"
- Lancashire Telegraph - "Fears over sale of Ribble Valley's 'heritage woods"
- BBC Tyne - "Northumberland forest sell-off meets opposition" VIDEO
- This is Grimsby - "Keep your hands off our national treasures"
- This is Bristol - "Planet Bristol, Peter Madden"
- Darlington & Stockton Times - "Campaigners protest against sale of forests"
- Westmorland Gazette - "Protestors take the campaign to save forests to Whinlatter"
- Times & Star - "Keep the nation's forests for the nation"
- This is Gloucestershire - "Bishop of Gloucestershire joins fight to stop sell off of Forest of Dean"
- The York Press - "Selling off forests would be a disaster"
- The Westmorland Gazette - "Grizedale protest against plans to sell off forests"
- Staffordshire Newsletter - "Chase sell-off fears"
- In Loughborough - "Save our forests"
- The Westmorland Gazette - "Cumbrian charities and communities could manage forests with Euro cash"
- Edinburgh Evening News - "Forestry law backlash 'can save city jobs'"
- ITV Westcountry - "Woodland sell off" VIDEO
- STV - "Sell-off of England's forests could lead to Scottish job cuts"
- ITV Yorkshire, Calender - "Woods sell-off row" VIDEO
- BBC Lincolnshire - "Campaign to save ancient forests"
- This Is Cheshire - "Coalition 'vandals'"
- Bucks Free Pres - "Forest 'sell off' plans may affect 16 Bucks woodlands"
- This Is Cornwall - "Local groups to get first refusal in controversial woodland sell-off by Government"
- The Northern Echo - "Leader: Mad about trees"
- Halstead Gazette - "Ancient woodlands face uncertain future"
- Bournemouth Echo - "MP voices caution over plans to sell off Dorset's forests"
- The Westmorland Gazette - "Cumbria's Lord Bragg slams potential sell-off of forests as 'political vandalism'"
- Bournemouth Echo - "Selling off the New Forest could stop it being free to use"
- Norwich Advertiser - "Fears over Norfolk sell-off plans"
- ITV Central Tonight - "Forest For Sale" VIDEO
- The Shuttle - "Let's stop sell-off of our forests"
- The Westmorland Gazette - "Campaign to halt Cumbria forests privatisation plan"
- Cumbria News & Star - "Cumbrian protest as fears grow over public woodlands sell-off"
- This is Cornwall - "Ancient wood sites face axe in £300 million sell-off"
- Gazette & Herald - "Fears over the future of Dalby Forest"
- Whitehaven News - "Council joins fight to save public forest"
- This is Cornwall - "Local communities to get first refusal on forest sales"
- Portsmouth News - "Concern at ministers' plan to sell off forests"
- Southern Daily Echo - "Conservation group's bid to stop New Forest management being privatised"
- Southern Daily Echo - "160,000 sign up to halt New Forest sell-off"
- North West Evening Mail - "12-weeks to influence the forest option"
- This is Exeter - "Hundreds join campaign to stop Haldon Forest being sold off"
- ITV Border News - "Cumbrian forests" VIDEO
- This is Gloucestershire - "Thousands rally against possible sale of the Forest of Dean" "More than 3,000 marched in single file chanting "forest for sale" with placards reading 'Don't Plunder Our Forest Community Wildlife'"
- Bournemouth Echo - "MP voices caution over plans to sell off Dorset's forests"
Blogs and Specialist Press
- BikeBiz - "Save Our Forests petition pushing on towards 200,000"
- Next Left - "Could selling off the forests be the Government's least popular policy of all?"
- Jonathan Porrit - "Stirrings in the Forest of Dean"
- Politics.co.uk - "Rowan Williams and Annie Lennox fight forest privatisation"
- Grough - "Walkers and mountain bikers urged to join rally against sell-offs"
- Wildlife Extra - "Rally called to save Lakeland's forests"
- BikeMagic - "Why we must save our forests"
- Go Outdoors - "Letter seeks to retain access to forests"
- The Ecologist - "Huge majority oppose England forest sell-off, poll finds"
- Church Times - "Forest protest continues, despite government assurances"
- Timber Industry Magazine - "Forest sell-off resistance grows"
- Pitchcare - "New direction for England's forest estate"
