Forestry Consultation

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Urgent action required – Government’s Forestry Review Panel

The government’s proposed changes to the ownership and management of public forests in England pose a very real danger to UK motor sport – and in particular Stage Rallying.

The Independent Panel established earlier this year to look at the forestry issue and make recommendations to government contains only one representative of leisure users – and that is the Ramblers’ Association. Consequently, there is a great danger that the interests of motor sport will not be considered in the panel’s final report; the disastrous impact of this would be to risk motor sport being excluded from both the public forest estate and any of the forests transferred into private ownership.

The panel is currently consulting with the general public to find out ‘What the forests mean to you?’ It is essential that as many people as possible from the motor sport community make their views known to the panel.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES IS SUNDAY 31 JULY 2011.

The panel is asking the following questions:

Q1 – What do forests and woods mean to you?
Q2 – What is your vision for the future of England’s forests and woods?
Q3 – What do you feel to be the benefits of forests and woods to:
a) you personally;
b) society as a whole;
c) the natural environment; and
d) the economy?
Q4 – We would like to hear about your suggestions of practical solutions and good practice which can be replicated more widely.
Q5 – What do you see as the priorities and challenges for policy about England’s forests and woods?

In order to submit feedback to this consultation, simply send an email to: forestrypanel@defra.gsi.gov.uk, detailing your name and answering as many of the questions as you wish.

PLEASE RESPOND BEFORE THE END OF THIS WEEKEND.

It is essential that as many people as possible emphasise the importance to motor sport of continued access to the public forest estate. If we fail to do this, there is every chance that the requirements of motor sport will simply not be considered by the panel.

A sample response paper can be found on the MSA website with some key issues highlighted that you might like to consider when completing your submission. You do not need to answer all the questions, but please respond in your own words, as this is significantly more impactful than an obviously orchestrated campaign.

Further information about the panel and the consultation process can be found on the defra website.

Many thanks for your assistance in this very important matter.

Kind regards

Colin Hilton
Chief Executive
Motor Sports Association

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Sample answers:

Question 1 – What do forests and woods mean to you?
• Valuable leisure resource
• Available for all, including properly organised motor sport activities

Question 2 – What is your vision for the future of England’s forests and woods?
• Continue to see all responsible users co-exist and utilise the forests – as they do now
• Minority activities not excluded, such as motor sport
• ALL existing activities undertaken with the Forestry Commission to be protected under any future sale contract – not just walking, riding, cycling, etc.

Question 3 – What do you feel to be the benefits of forests and woods to:
a) you personally;
• The forests provide a valuable national resource that allows properly organised and regulated motor sport events to take place.
• Motor sport events are responsibly organised in collaboration with the Forestry Commission.
• All motor sport events take great care to avoid particular times of year that would adversely affect the natural habitat within the forests, e.g. mating seasons, etc.
• Restricting access to these forests for motor sport events would do great damage to a sport at which Britain excels internationally.
• It would also undermine the associated motor sport industry that provides 40,000 jobs, 4,500 businesses and an estimated £4.5bn to the UK economy.

b) society as a whole;
c) the natural environment; and
d) the economy?

Question 4 – We would like to hear about your suggestions of practical solutions and good practice which can be replicated more widely.
• Motor sport currently operates in association with the Forestry Commission to ensure that all legitimate motor sport events are properly organised, fully insured and undertaken with absolute consideration to other forest users.
• A Concordat already exists between the Motor Sports Association and the Forestry Commission which sets out, at a national level, a common understanding of best practice to minimise the impact of these activities on the surrounding environment.
• A Master Agreement also details the charges paid by motor sport events for the use of the forests – this central negotiation arrangement is essential to ensure a level playing field for both sides and all parties, and prevents the time-consuming need for smaller negotiations to take place around the country.

Question 5 – What do you see as the priorities and challenges for policy about England’s forests and woods?
• Ensuring that all existing users can continue to enjoy their use of the public forest estate
• Ensuring that minority activities are not outlawed by the views of the majority
• Ensuring that illegal and anti-social behaviour is prevented, but not at the expense of legitimate and responsible users

[Jamie-Offroad]

Just done this, i would hate for forest stage rallying to be restricted or banned!

[mrman]

I take it this does not affect the GB RALLY (Wales) ?

[LlaniGraham]

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You can be pretty certain that the Welsh, Scottish and N Ireland Forestry bodies will be watching very closely how the English consultation goes.

[RichardD]

Done

In Scotland, motorsport is all but banned on Forestry land. They are so risk averse that even some mountain bike tracks have been bulldozed "for safety reasons"

We have to fight back.