Let's Deliver The £1 Billion Forest

In March our Minister, Ben Bradshaw, launched the next 10 year Strategy with great enthusiasm at Bretby. The morning saw a review of what had been achieved over the previous decade and an outline of the Defra-approved Strategy for the future. It was an inspirational occasion.

The event got good media coverage including a front page headline in the Leicester Mercury blazing “The £1 Billion Forest”. I blinked when I saw it. But with the use of material we had produced over the last year for the Strategy the paper had arrived at this figure of the overall economic value of the Forest to the country. Now all we have to do is to deliver it!

Obviously there will be huge changes over the next decade and there will be challenges to meet including whether to continue to keep the faith with this venture and its level of funding. We need to sustain the local, regional and national political support for what we are doing and repeatedly draw to the politicians’ attention the growing benefits of the public and private investment in the Forest. The active support of the public within the Forest area is crucial including the participation of the landowners in converting their holdings.

I believe that the delivery of the £1 billion Forest will also require the continued role of the National Forest Company with the minimum restrictions on our initiatives so we can capture the entreprenuerial spirit for Forest creation that exists.

If that happens then the massive impact on the East and West Midlands could be achieved. And yes we will need a few slices of luck.

Viv Astling