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Transition New Mills

Category Archives: Biodiversity

The English Tree Strategy

16 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by Julian Ashworth in Biodiversity, Rewilding

≈ 1 Comment

Nature New Mills has responded to the Defra England Tree Strategy consultation that was launched in June and closed 11th September.  

The consultation sought views on the following:  

  • how to expand, protect and improve our public and private trees and woodlands,  
  • the increased role that trees and woodlands can play in supporting the economy,  
  • how best to further connect people to nature, and  
  • the most effective way in which trees and woodlands can be created and managed to help combat climate change.  

    Defra Press Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/consultation-launched-on-the-england-tree-strategy  

     
    The consultation strategy included an introduction from the Forestry Minister, Zac Goldsmith, commending it as a way forward. The consultation consisted of 45 questions, and information to facilitate responses to the questions. The consultation document can be found in pdf form via the following link: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/forestry/england-tree-strategy/  

    As a group, Nature New Mills decided it was important to respond to the strategy. We collated responses from the group and fed those into the consultation survey. It took us a good half a day to do this and we hope that time has been well spent. As one of us said, ‘the Defra Document is a bit overwhelming’ 😉  

    We felt that the information given to help us respond to the consultation was carefully set out, though we would have appreciated further references, particularly to the scientific expertise informing the document.  

    We thought that there are some useful aspects to the proposed strategy. The strategy, for example, refers to natural regeneration and the need to encourage greater biodiversity. It emphasises the need for diversity in tree planting, as opposed to the establishment of tree monocultures, the need to ensure the resilience of woods in the face of climate breakdown, the need to control browsing by deer and other mammals, the value of tree corridors (to encourage biodiversity), the benefits of encouraging appropriate tree coverage along rivers as a means of controlling flooding, and the importance of trees and woodland for wellbeing, particularly in urban contexts. The strategy document emphasises the need to support and incentivise tree planting and regeneration projects financially. It also refers to the need for local community involvement, for example in mapping local areas. This last point is relevant to Nature New Mills and doubtless other areas of socio-environmental activity related to Transition New Mills.  

    All of this is heartening. However, as we noted in our response to the consultation, the overall target for tree coverage  (from 10% to 12%) is nowhere near sufficient, in a country with much less tree coverage than other European countries .We were also concerned that the strategy is more oriented around tree planting than it is with ‘reducing carbon and increasing biodiversity through better management of natural systems’. Our concern was that ‘a tree planting rush’ could happen at the expense of ‘other valuable habitats which may also play important roles in those objectives’.  

    Alongside these concerns, we were also unconvinced by the use of the term ‘ecosystems services’ in the strategy. We felt that this ‘service’ orientation would result in perverse incentives and constituted a ‘spurious cost-benefit tool which attempts to put a monetary value to woodland and nature’. Connectedly we questioned the desire for ‘energy forestry’ using ‘fast-growing trees which are planted and specially grown on a short rotation to provide biomass for power generation’ (Strategy consultation document, Page, 34). We wondered how much of the additional 2% forest cover would be given over to short rotation for wood biomass ( the strategy consultation document gives no indication that we could find).  Finally and substantively for us, the document does not explicitly mention the grouse shooting industry or industrial scale sheep farming (though it does mention deer and squirrels). We felt this was an omission and so raised it as a consideration in relevant parts of the consultation.  

    Alongside these key points we made the following points in the consultation (we have not included the exhaustive list of points made):  

    Creating space for nature  
  • Ensuring natural regeneration should be at the top of the hierarchy of approaches (as recommended by Rewilding Britain in relation to the strategy): helping people to understand how natural regeneration  works, timescales, and to value the evolving landscape even though it might look messy to some and not result in instant gratification.  
  • Natural regeneration is less costly than tree planting  
  • Reduce barriers to species re-introduction (e.g. beavers) to help manage ecosystems.  

Local communities and local authorities  

  • Local councils should be required to have a tree strategy which involves local non-governmental organisations.  
  • Connected to the previous point, a need for greater publicised transparency on land ownership and current subsidies.  
  • Facilitation of urban natural brown field regeneration and planting by community.  
  • Raise awareness of the health and wellbeing benefits along with promoting a sense of ownership of civil spaces.  Increasing opportunities for dialogue and involvement with communities through agential activities.  This facilitates the smooth running of local government and ultimately the implementation of central government initiatives.  
  • Advice and encouragement for communities to collect and grow trees for local planting in appropriate places.  
  • Actively promote citizen planting of trees in gardens which have been paved over; incentives and support to unpave and plant permaculture lazy gardens.  
  • More emphasis on help with whole ecosystem management, rather than just tree management. More accessible information for NGO’s, communities and general public education.  


    Planning and regulation  
  • Planning guidance for new developments to take more account of tree planting and connections between natural areas. Incentivising not just tree planting, but ongoing maintenance and survival of trees 5 or 10 years later.  
  • The planning system should be able to refuse development where this impacts ancient woodland. We also need to take better account of the cumulative effect of habitat loss.  
  • A means to put protection orders on trees along with a register for why trees are felled, who felled them and contract numbers.  
  •  Making it easier for town’s people to plant up trees in urban tarmac spaces can help with drainage issues and provide greened environment conferring health benefits.  

Supporting the economy:  Ecotourism  

(Note: The England Tree Strategy is interested in tree planting as a means of supporting the economy. Nature New Mills has made mention of ecotourism in meetings. Eco tourism could well be a useful way of supporting the economy, so we referred to it in the strategy document as below:  

  • clearer routes to helping design sustainable services involved in tourism management  
  • We would like people to be employed in this sector as conservationists and with a view to fostering eco-tourism around unique ecologies  
  • Eco-tourism has the greatest potential for drawing together multiple economic stakeholders whilst maintaining and growing sustainable landscapes  

Reading Group: ‘The Running Hare’

23 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by Julian Ashworth in Biodiversity, Discussion, Food, Rewilding, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Blog post by Sue Cooper, Transition New Mills Reading Group

The New Mills Transition Discussion Group meets monthly in someone’s home to discuss a book or, occasionally, to watch a film/video or host a speaker.

Our book this month was The Running Hare (The secret life of farmland) by John Lewis-Stempel published by Penguin Books. In some ways this followed a theme set last time in our discussions of Wilding by Isabella Tree, looking at what happens when land is managed or farmed differently to the modern methods of intensive agriculture – in this case a field in Herefordshire which the author takes on for a year to grow a crop of wheat, using traditional farming methods, and a wide border of wildflowers.

The results are fascinating and heartening, showing the power of nature to recover from the mono-cultures of agribusiness which create quite ‘dead’ environments, as well as a celebration and appreciation of the skills and cultural history of traditional agricultural workers.

This book was a ‘lighter’ read than our usual fare; as well as being an observant ecologist cataloguing and describing the emerging and changing flora and fauna he includes anecdotes of rural life, poetry, songs, discourses on agricultural history, language and literature, a rich weave of fascinating facts and engaging descriptions. Some of us found his style of writing attractive, enjoying the richness and depth, others were less enthusiastic, but all agreed that is was an interesting read and a welcome reminder of the rhythm of the seasons and a celebration of our connection to the natural world.

It is an open criticism of modern agricultural methods; he writes of the ‘chemical brothers’ in the next field whose use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers together with modern farm machinery delivers high yields but a mono-cultural environment, ‘every time one buys the lie of cheap food a flower or a bird dies’. His field produces an abundance and variety of wild flowers, attracts all kinds of wild life including the hares of the title and also produces a decent crop of wheat but at the cost of some heavy physical work. No easy answers. We had a lively discussion on the book which moved on to include a debate on the Common Agricultural Policy, farming subsidies and Brexit, and the worrying issue of modern disengagement from the natural world.

Our next meeting, on Monday February 18th, will look at the 12 principles of permaculture, through song! Contact us at transition.newmills@gmail.com for details.

Balsam Bashing June Dates

28 Saturday May 2016

Posted by Julian Ashworth in Biodiversity, Events, Plants

≈ Leave a comment

balsam bashers

We are into our third year of trying to clear the New Mills area of the invasive alien Himalayan Balsam which is swamping our native flora. We know it is going to be a long haul but we are already winning in some areas. So we need to renew and redouble our efforts this year

We are concentrating on 4 main areas : the Torrs, Goytside, the Picker and Mousley Bottom. We have already had 3 sessions and removed a lot of small balsam plants in the first three of these areas, allowing native plants to continue growing without getting shaded out. This year we have also been removing litter encountered at the same time.

The next organised bashes are scheduled for the following dates :

Monday 6th June  6.30 – 8.00pm  The Picker   Meet at junction of High St, Dye House Lane and Hyde Bank Rd  Leader : David Blowers

Monday 13th June  6.30 – 8.00pm  The Torrs   Meet at Torrs Hydro Leader : Jill Hulme

Saturday 25th June  10.30-12.30  Mousley Bottom  Meet at DCC Rangers Hut Leader: Julian Ashworth

Wear stout footwear. Gloves and long sleeves are more comfortable; we have some gloves for loan if you don’t have any yourself.

If you can’t join us on any of these dates, please help by coming on a future organised bash, pledging to Pick a Patch of your choice or just pull as you walk.

Pick up one of our new handy pocket guides on Himalayan Balsam from the Heritage Centre, Spring Bank Arts, or St Georges Parish Hall to help you.

Contact us at transition.newmills@gmail.com, or visit us at transitionnewmills.org or facebook.com/transitionnewmills

Balsam Bashing Starts This Weekend!

20 Friday May 2016

Posted by Julian Ashworth in Biodiversity, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Balsam Bashing 2016

We are into our third year of trying to clear the New Mills area of the invasive alien Himalayan Balsam which is swamping our native flora. We know it is going to be a long haul but we are already winning in some areas. So we need to renew and redouble our efforts this year.

We shall continue to concentrate on four main areas : the Torrs, Goytside, the Picker and Mousley Bottom.

The balsam is already popping up so we are starting to bash while it is still small. We hope you can join us on one of the first three organised bashing events :

Saturday 21 May  10-11.30am   meet at Torrs hydro

Sunday 22 May   10-11.30am   meet at Torrs hydro

Monday 23 May  6.30 – 8.00pm  meet at junction of High St, Dye House Lane and Hyde bank Rd

If you can’t join us on any of these dates, please help by coming on a future organised bash, pledging to Pick a Patch of your choice or just pull as you walk.

Please wear stout footwear, long sleeves are more comfortable

Contact us on transitionnewmills.org or facebook.com/transitionnewmills

A Triumph for Trees!

21 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by Julian Ashworth in Biodiversity, Events, Plants

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

biodiversity, conservation

Thanks to you all for a brilliant effort. Around 400 trees were planted on and around the Derby Road playing fields in New Mills on Sunday and Monday, in a joint project between Transition New Mills and Thornsett School.

Thank you to everyone who cleared the ground, put out the marker canes, planted trees, put on and checked the guards, contributed cakes and made tea.  Also thank you to those of you who turned up after we had finished on Sunday  – sorry  our volunteers were so efficient – and to those who expressed their interest and support but couldn’t help on the day.

Thank you to the head, staff, children and parents at Thornsett School. We hope you are proud of your contribution and excited about the prospect of watching the trees grow and seeing the wildlife thrive as a result. We are relying on you to keep an eye out for the trees and to help make the whole of your local community feel that the trees belong to them.

We hope that this is just the beginning of bring more trees back to the area. The Woodland Trust is giving away nearly 5 million trees to community and school groups in the UK over the next 3 years. We would be happy to bid for more trees and organise another event next Autumn.

All we need is some land – so if you have spare land yourself, or know someone who does, or can suggest a suitable plot, please let us know.

Christine Moore    chrism44ind@yahoo.com

Jane Ayres   janecampaign@gmail.com

Jill Hulme   jillhulme@gmail.com

 

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