Living Ash Project

[SimonFisher]

If these trees are going to die then unless someone comes up with a cure then that will happen and we will have to deal with the consequencies.

I suspect many ash trees are going to succumb and die, but perhaps a few will show a natural resistance and be useful for repopulation purposes.

[oldclaypaws]

one of my many reasons for not applying for tags

Your other reasons?

Based on previous posts and conversations, I think Dexter and myself are often coming from the same place and I'd like to answer what I suspect are our shared reservations about 'official' projects. I started this post thinking it sounded ecologically sound and fun, but am now having major reservations.

When asked do you have any phobias ?, I often say "people carrying clipboards". Its not the project they may be involved in, its what happens to the information they gather, who they share it with, and how that might come back to impact on you in the future. Suppose you register for Ashtag, and this forms part of a government database of woodland owners. Then every time theres a new face in DEFRA, revenue, transport, health and safety, or whatever, and they want to launch a new policy, they might target you either voluntarily or involuntarily with new initiatives and legislation and bombard you with bumph and regulation. This might for example include hypothetically;

Taxation as a land owner
Health and safety regulations
Compulsory purchase for government schemes (worst case- we have decided to Nationalise and protect the Nations woods as they are a valuable resource)
Compulsory Access, legislation covering paths, gates, overhanging trees, noise, 'pollution' such as smoke.
Various management initiatives such as woodfuel, diversity, badger culling, disease monitoring or whatever other way they want to run your wood for you.
Telling you what they want you to plant, or not plant.
EU schemes
General interference, inspections and monitoring.

Far fetched? Ask farmers what they have to put up with. The usual way it works is they offer an incentive for their own policy, fund it from the public purse, appoint loads of clueless bureaucrats to run it, and you do the over-supervised work for them, so you've in effect sold your land and become a public employee.

I suspect many of us bought woods partly to have a private independent area where we can enjoy a space away from the rest of the world's stresses and people running out lives, not give them another opportunity to have a go at us and tell us what to do. I've often thought I might declare independence as a very small country outside UK laws, putting in place my own foreign and environmental policy in the independent Republic of Oldclaypawsia. That might be rather a good new fun thread.

[Dexter's Shed]

one of my many reasons for not applying for tags

Your other reasons?

Based on previous posts and conversations, I think Dexter and myself are often coming from the same place and I'd like to answer what I suspect are our shared reservations about 'official' projects. I started this post thinking it sounded ecologically sound and fun, but am now having major reservations.

When asked do you have any phobias ?, I often say "people carrying clipboards". Its not the project they may be involved in, its what happens to the information they gather, who they share it with, and how that might come back to impact on you in the future. Suppose you register for Ashtag, and this forms part of a government database of woodland owners. Then every time theres a new face in DEFRA, revenue, transport, health and safety, or whatever, and they want to launch a new policy, they might target you either voluntarily or involuntarily with new initiatives and legislation and bombard you with bumph and regulation. This might for example include hypothetically;

Taxation as a land owner
Health and safety regulations
Compulsory purchase for government schemes (worst case- we have decided to Nationalise and protect the Nations woods as they are a valuable resource)
Compulsory Access, legislation covering paths, gates, overhanging trees, noise, 'pollution' such as smoke.
Various management initiatives such as woodfuel, diversity, badger culling, disease monitoring or whatever other way they want to run your wood for you.
Telling you what they want you to plant, or not plant.
EU schemes
General interference, inspections and monitoring.

Far fetched? Ask farmers what they have to put up with. The usual way it works is they offer an incentive for their own policy, fund it from the public purse, appoint loads of clueless bureaucrats to run it, and you do the over-supervised work for them, so you've in effect sold your land and become a public employee.

I suspect many of us bought woods partly to have a private independent area where we can enjoy a space away from the rest of the world's stresses and people running out lives, not give them another opportunity to have a go at us and tell us what to do. I've often thought I might declare independence as a very small country outside UK laws, putting in place my own foreign and environmental policy in the independent Republic of Oldclaypawsia. That might be rather a good new fun thread.

thank you paw's, couldn't have answered it better myself,