Less than ten days to secure tree protection

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Please read this and please act on the request, this is an easy way for you to act on behalf of the community, human and animal. Read the message, send of an email and have a look at the film it says so much about why we need trees live and dead.


Ancient and vulnerable trees need your help today
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The Ancient Tree Forum and the Woodland Trust need your support to stop avoidable loss of Ancient Trees
and to help protect one of the most important habitats a tree can provide - dead wood.

The Tree Preservation Order (TPO) in England is currently being reviewed and we are concerned about
some proposed changes which would reduce, rather than improve, protection and could directly affect
beautiful and valuable ancient and veteran trees*.

The Department of Communities and Local Government proposes to continue to allow all dead trees,
however valuable, to be felled without consent. There is also a proposal to introduce a similar exception
for the removal of dead branches - vital habitats that naturally develop as trees age - on living trees.

Essentially this means that very old, historic and wildlife-rich dead trees and dead branches of living
veteran trees could be completely removed, rather than managed for stability.

Please help us prevent such a backward step in tree and habitat protection!

The Trust has set up an emergency campaign with the Ancient Tree Forum to feed directly into the public
consultation process.

Go straight to the live petition where you can add your own voice to ours**.
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/our-views-and-policy/Pages/send-message.aspx

PLEASE, find 2 minutes today to feed directly into this consultation and pass it on to your friends and contacts. This consultation ends 20th December.

In haste,
Neville and Nikki

Neville Fay - chair, Ancient Tree Forum
Nikki Williams - head of campaigning, Woodland Trust

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This beautifully animated film illustrates some of the very special habitats created by deadwood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piCWcjm4W9k
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* Over the last 4 years the Trust's Ancient Tree Hunt (http://www.ancienttreehunt.org.uk) has
recorded approximately 80,000 trees that are of importance to people across the UK, including
192 ancient dead trees. A significant proportion of veteran trees have dead branches in their
crowns; this is not only a threatened habitat but is a fundamental part of their character and
visual appeal which can remain for decades and longer if carefully managed. If these changes are
passed there will be no protection for the values that make these trees special.

** Further information and the proposed joint response from the Ancient Tree Forum and Woodland Trust
can be found here:
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/our-views-and-policy/Pages/reject-tpo-exceptions.aspx