Percentage Forest Cover in Europe by country 2010

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In: feature, forestry, policy

I wrote recently that the UK had the second-lowest forest cover of any country in Europe (see post).  More specifically with 12% forest cover the UK has the same forest cover as the Republic of Moldova.  Ireland and the Netherlands are equally the least-wooded countries in Europe, each with 11%Continue Reading

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In: news

On Thursday, to coincide with the Government’s abandonment of plans to sell or lease England’s publicly owned forests, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) announced an essay writing competition in The Independent newspaper. The title of the essay is “The future of England’s forests”  and FFI are keen to hear theContinue Reading

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In: news

So far I have been promised £170 in sponsorship funding for the Ride for Research event on 23rd March – thank you to everyone who has supported me. Can you help me raise more for oak disease research?  Read moreContinue Reading

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In: comment, forestry, policy

In principle there were some good ideas in what the Government sought to achieve by reviewing the ownership of England’s forests.  The Forestry Commission are a great public organisation and achieve fantastic results for a relatively small cost to the taxpayer, although we should recognise that there is also roomContinue Reading

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In: forestry, news, policy

Earlier today on Prime Minister’s Question Time, David Cameron was asked by Labour Leader Ed Miliband about his views on the public forest sale. Ed Miliband asked if the PM was happy about his “flagship policy on forestry”. Amidst laughs, Mr Cameron replied that the short answer was “no” addingContinue Reading

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In: feature, forestry, health, science

Chronic oak decline, acute oak decline, sudden oak death … there is widespread public concern about the health of the nation’s flagship tree species. What’s the difference between these diseases and what causes them?Continue Reading

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In: feature, science, trees

I undertook an expedition to Kyrgyzstan in 1997 to collect walnut seeds from the wild walnut-fruit forests. Following our last day collecting walnut seeds in the mountains near the spectacular Sary Chalek lake (see post) we travelled back to the capital Bishkek via a three hour jeep journey, first throughContinue Reading