Success of Roots to Prosperity team bears fruit in Help for forestry in Budget & next Tuesdays conference

I am speaking at the Confor conference next week on the need for support for forestry and wood panel groups like local businesses from Egger downwards.
Building on the general good news from the Budget, and our long campaign to get support for commercial forestry, ie another Kielder, and the work of the Roots To Prosperity group, I was delighted to see this in Wednesday's Budget:

"2.257 Fund for Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) supported forestry schemes – The industry led initiative ‘Roots to Prosperity’ has demonstrated the value of collaboration between the forestry industry, Local Authorities and LEPs. To encourage this further, the government will launch a nationwide £1 million fund to support schemes that will promote the growth of the forestry industry in their region and which have the support of their local LEP."

Tuesdays conference will bring together all the key players in the Forestry world.

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

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 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.