Pleased that Forestry Commission have agreed to 77 acres conifer planting north of Haltwhistle - building on Roots to Prosperity Report

http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/news/farmer-gets-go-ahead-for-woodland-1.1182882
We need to plant more trees in this country, and that must include commercial timber. That is the strong message coming from businesses like Egger, our antique and wood panel businesses, and many more, or there will be no such businesses here in the UK in the near future. Kielder, for example, is fundamentally a commercial conifer forest.
It is wonderful.

I have strongly backed the Roots to Prosperity campaign [pictured at Egger with many of the business and local leaders], and support the farmer who sought to make his farm more viable, by planting a woodland of 77 acres of conifers, and 29 of broad leaf timber.

Northumberland National Park objected to the application. I have great respect for the Park officials, and their management team, but on this occasion I am against their approach and right behind the Forestry Commission. The simple lesson is that the Park cannot exist in isolation to its surrounding community. The UK, and in particular Northumberland, needs more Forestry - something wholeheartedly backed by the public.

For my part I would support the planting of a small forest the size of Wark or Slaley, and am right behind applications for further planting both locally, and with the pressure I am putting on government agencies and quangos.

The reasons why this is so necessary are well set out in this report: its conclusions are unanswerable if we wish forestry, timber products and businesses like Egger, and the smaller producers, to thrive and survive in this country: http://www.confor.org.uk/NewsAndEvents/News.aspx?pid=23&id=2641

Kielder Christmas tree in parliament

Great work by the team from the Forestry Commission in Northumberland. Full story here:
http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/update/2014-12-02/kielder-tree-positioned-at-base-of-big-ben

A trip to Kielder school and knocking on doors

I was recently able to head up to Kielder to spend time with the School, meet the teachers, and knock on a lot of doors locally. I also popped in to the Village Store and chatted to many of the locals who were out and about, including parish councillors. We discussed many things from the County Councils failure to upgrade the local lights, as promised, to the success of the fuel station and the lack of bus services, and the opportunities of the oil buying clubs locally.

As to the school there is no doubt it is a very good school, well led and with unique local facilities. The library co-exists in the same building in a good use of shared facilities by NCC. The sadness is the Youth Hostel which is presently not being used but I am hopeful that a solution will be forthcoming soon.  

Finally a word on the fuel station, which has been transformative since I opened it a few years back [see photo below]. With the oil price coming down I hope that the cost of fuel will drop even more, as a car in Kielder is a necessity not a luxury. As always, I was not able to speak to everyone in the village but if you need to get in contact email me or call the Hexham or Westminster offices.  

We need commerical forests planted soon - my Q today at Farming / Environment Questions at 10.15 today HOC

What steps are being taken to increase planting of commercial forestry in the UK to alleviate the future lack of commercial or other timber for UK businesses?

Forestry has a future in the North

Egger in Hexham on Monday saw the brightest and best minds from forestry coming together to meet, listen and discuss the future of forestry; it is clear from the many experts present that there is great scope to expand the forestry and woodland in the north. There are realistic plans to increase the conifer capacity by
- planting in and around housing developments, enterprise and business parks
- mid hill forestry where the moorland meets the arable and low lying land or where land abuts forestry commission land
- possible new larger forests on sites to be identified and agreed by local councils and interested bodies.
No one is contemplating another Kielder Forest but a smaller forest on a scale of Slaley or Wark is not unrealistic or unattainable in my view. This may need a change in viewpoint by several people or public bodies and possible change in direction but that is what discussion and debate is about. The simple point is this - what are we prepared to do to ensure there is a forestry and timber business in the North well beyond 2030?
Fuller details here: http://www.confor.org.uk/NewsAndEvents/News.aspx?pid=23&id=2641
The event is also front page of todays Courant and reported at length in the Journal.

Forestry event tomorrow at Egger

Roots to Prosperity is an action plan for change and growth in the forestry and timber sectors, here in the north of England. It is well supported by all the local county councils and lays out an action plan for how the sector can expand and hopefully create more jobs. I am speaking tomorrow at the event in Hexham and keen to listen and learn from the many experts there as to how we can harness the local areas desire to grow the sector.

We need to plant more forests

Last week I went once more to Egger and met with the team there, including Simon Hart of Egger Forestry Management. We discussed at length the need for more forests in the UK. My position on this is clear - I am big supporter of more forestry. The question is whether local people would be in favour of, for example, another significant forest being planted in North Northumberland? And the second issue is whether a forest would be the type that is commercial and there to be planted, cut down and replanted as Kielder is? I would welcome constituents thoughts and opinions  

Red Squirrel Numbers on the up in Northumberland

I am a big supporter of the work that local volunteers, conservationists, landowners and the Forestry Commission are doing to work together to restore red squirrels to the woodlands around Hexham, Corbridge and Slaley in Northumberland. I have met with many of the teams and hope to see some of this good work in action at some stage in the new year.

This part of Northumberland was once home to thriving populations of red squirrels, but in the last decade, non-native grey squirrels have taken over - spreading the deadly squirrel pox virus and dramatically reducing red squirrel numbers. Immediate and wide-scale action is needed to protect the remaining red squirrels. Red Squirrels Northern England (RSNE) is now working with Stocksfield - based estate management company Land Factor to protect the precious red squirrels in the area.

With the support of local landowners, RSNE has secured £300,000 for the next five years, through the Forestry Commission’s English Woodland Grant Scheme, for red squirrel conservation in the Hexham area. This scheme has been assisting crucial red squirrel conservation efforts across northern England since 2007.

The amazing funding boost will contribute towards employing a full time Red Squirrel Ranger and seasonal contractors, to work across 3,000 hectares of woodland around the areas Hexham, Corbridge and Slaley.

Red Squirrel Northern England is already seeing the benefits of its conservation work in Slaley Forest, a woodland covering an area of approx. 14 sq. kilometres, 8 miles south of Hexham. Paul Greener, RSNE Red Squirrel Ranger, has been trapping grey squirrels in the Forestry Commission-owned woodlands since March 2013. In the first few months of his work, Paul counted himself very lucky if he ever saw a red squirrel in the Forest, however, now, after a concerted trapping effort, he sees red squirrels on his rounds every day which is such an achievement

Margaret Bates, leader of the volunteer Slaley Red Squirrel Group, has been delighted with the results so far, she says: “Slaley Red Squirrel Group find it very encouraging to have received a 50% increase in red squirrel sightings during 2013, compared to the last two years which I believe are down to a combination of kinder weather, landowner support and great relations between RSNE and its volunteers.”
So, with a New Year around the corner in a little over five weeks’ time, there is great hope that visitors to the woodlands around Hexham will once again be rewarded by the sight of the wonderful and endearing native red squirrel.

Anybody wanting to find out more about red squirrel conservation in Hexham and its surrounding woodlands should email Red Squirrel Officer Emma Wright at emma.wright@rsne.org.uk or telephone her on: 01661 844795