Remarkable Achievement

The Rt Hon John Gummer MP made his first official return visit to The National Forest for 10 years recently, in order to present the awards for the National Forest Company’s Tender Scheme.

John Gummer established the National Forest Company (NFC) when he was Secretary of State for the Environment in 1995 and hence was instrumental in getting the development of the Forest off to a flying start. He commented on the vast scale of Forest creation, and the fact that woodland cover over the 200 square miles of the Forest has more than doubled from under 6% to an impressive 15% plus.

“The figures are truly remarkable, much better than anything I might have imagined,” commented Mr Gummer. “That we have reached this point is a huge and exciting reality. “Ten years ago, we wanted to find a new way to create this Forest,” he continued. “It had to be big; it had to be innovative, without the heavy hand of bureaucracy all over it; and it had to be here. It had to have variety and its own unique spirit through real and meaningful partnership. “From the start, the Tender Scheme system enabled individuals and groups to have their own ideas carried through, but the whole Forest was still protected as an entity.

“Ten years on, we are used to instant everything. Many of the things we have to wait for are the best, which is true of this Forest. “In creating The National Forest you are teaching many of the lessons that much of the rest of the country needs to learn. I wish you all another successful ten years of this great initiative.”

The Tender Scheme is the NFC’s unique method of woodland creation. Under the Tender Scheme landowners can apply for funds from the NFC to carry out their own special woodland schemes as their contribution to the creation of The National Forest. This year 17 winners (comprising fifteen farmers, one charity and one company) will create 320 ha (nearly 800 acres) of new woodland and share over £2m in grants to pay for the conversion work. The smallest scheme is 5.23ha, the largest 54.79ha. The public can look forward to full informal access across 92% of the total land submitted by the winning schemes.

The schemes are spread throughout the Forest with 1 in Staffordshire, 5 in Derbyshire and 11 in Leicestershire. In total, this year’s winners will plant half a million trees in the Forest, a number on highly visible sites adjacent to major roads. The 17.80ha scheme at Fiveways Wood set on arable land either side of the A42 is particularly prominent. New woodlands will also be visible from the M1 and the A444. “Through a decade’s worth of successful schemes, 162 in total, the Tender Scheme process has created 3,000 hectares, representing two thirds of the new woodland in the Forest,” said Dr Hugh Williams, Incentives & Land Management Officer, NFC. “It continues to attract ideas and commitment from those who own, or would like to own, land in The National Forest, because of the flexibility and individuality that the Scheme brings. Total investment in the Tender Scheme, from the National Forest Company and the Forestry Commission, stands at £24.35million.

“These schemes bring opportunities for both passive and active recreation such as walking, bird watching, picnicking, cycling, horseriding and fishing as well as helping us to meet our nature conservation targets. They include exciting examples of land restoration following mineral extraction; wholesale farm diversification - such as a new four wheel drive course within new woodland, fishing lakes and novel tourist attractions including an earth maze; and the involvement of a wide range of private companies, charities and landowners helping to create the Forest.”