A very interesting article. I had no idea there was even a sliver of rainforest left in the UK. I’m fortunate to have visited the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, USA, several times. It includes the Olympic National Park which protects roughly a million acres of mountains and temperate rain forest. I certainly recommend a visit if you enjoy the outdoors.
Even in the US, our massive forest legacy has been brutally destroyed. The practice of “clear cutting” forests is one of the most environmentally destructive acts imaginable.
I wish Mr. Shrubsole, and other stewards of the land, best of luck in their attempts to protect the UK’s remaining rainforests. I suggest, though, they base their advocacy on an appeal to environmentalism rather than tradition, history, and myth. Sadly, too many “thought leaders” in the UK are intent on deconstructing Britain’s history and culture.
“I suggest, though, they base their advocacy on an appeal to environmentalism rather than tradition, history, and myth. Sadly, too many “thought leaders” in the UK are intent on deconstructing Britain’s history and culture.”
I think they can do both. The environmentalism would hopefully bring in the environmentalists (which I highly doubt it would because they don’t really care about the environment) and the true conservatives who want to see Britain grow, thrive and become connected to its past. I’d even go a step further and start advocating digging up concrete roads, and allowing plants and trees to thrive in the boundary, creating even more opportunities to bring back tree cover. We have too much concrete.
“I suggest, though, they base their advocacy on an appeal to environmentalism rather than tradition, history, and myth. Sadly, too many “thought leaders” in the UK are intent on deconstructing Britain’s history and culture.”
I think they can do both. The environmentalism would hopefully bring in the environmentalists (which I highly doubt it would because they don’t really care about the environment) and the true conservatives who want to see Britain grow, thrive and become connected to its past. I’d even go a step further and start advocating digging up concrete roads, and allowing plants and trees to thrive in the boundary, creating even more opportunities to bring back tree cover. We have too much concrete.
J Bryant
1 year ago
A very interesting article. I had no idea there was even a sliver of rainforest left in the UK. I’m fortunate to have visited the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, USA, several times. It includes the Olympic National Park which protects roughly a million acres of mountains and temperate rain forest. I certainly recommend a visit if you enjoy the outdoors.
Even in the US, our massive forest legacy has been brutally destroyed. The practice of “clear cutting” forests is one of the most environmentally destructive acts imaginable.
I wish Mr. Shrubsole, and other stewards of the land, best of luck in their attempts to protect the UK’s remaining rainforests. I suggest, though, they base their advocacy on an appeal to environmentalism rather than tradition, history, and myth. Sadly, too many “thought leaders” in the UK are intent on deconstructing Britain’s history and culture.
Adam Bartlett
1 year ago
Would be good in so many ways if we can do this. “The works of nature are a freshly spoken word of God” -Goethe
Adam Bartlett
1 year ago
Would be good in so many ways if we can do this. “The works of nature are a freshly spoken word of God” -Goethe
Aidan Anabetting
1 year ago
Inspired piece of writing. Let’s hope it is heard and heeded at the Duchy of Cornwall. UHERD seems to encompass an interesting tension between pastoralists and denouncers of “eco-fascism”.
Ecological scientists have known about and studied UK rainforests for years, there are numerous references to them in the scientific literature going back 20 years at least and they were first referred to as a distinct entity by forest ecologist Peterken in the 1990s. I know many researchers and botanists alike have made suggestions and representations to the bodies responsible for protecting important habitat to increase protection and extent of our rainforests, but to no effect. It will be good if Mr Shrubsole’s campaign increases legal protection and expansion of rainforest remnants, but it will also prove that society would rather listen to social media campaigners than scientists, which is very sad.
Ecological scientists have known about and studied UK rainforests for years, there are numerous references to them in the scientific literature going back 20 years at least and they were first referred to as a distinct entity by forest ecologist Peterken in the 1990s. I know many researchers and botanists alike have made suggestions and representations to the bodies responsible for protecting important habitat to increase protection and extent of our rainforests, but to no effect. It will be good if Mr Shrubsole’s campaign increases legal protection and expansion of rainforest remnants, but it will also prove that society would rather listen to social media campaigners than scientists, which is very sad.
Last edited 1 year ago by Ms Rowe
Aidan Anabetting
1 year ago
Inspired piece of writing. Let’s hope it is heard and heeded at the Duchy of Cornwall. UHERD seems to encompass an interesting tension between pastoralists and denouncers of “eco-fascism”.
laurence scaduto
1 year ago
A wonderful essay. Thanks. So nice to see serious people writing about things we can do, now.
I particularly appreciated the idea of setting fences 150 meters away from the edge of the extent forests and just leaving the forest to do its thing. In ten years the “buffer zone” will be filled in. In twenty it will be forest. In thirty it will be almost indistiguishable from the old forest.
Often, there are too many voices involved in planning conservation projects; too many people with too much education, I suppose, all clamoring for input. The truth is, if we just get out of the way, and stop doing harm, the project will bear fruit by itself. Nature is intensely, surprisingly vigorous. We don’t really understand, nor do we need to understand, the mechanisms involved. Just step back and let it happen.
laurence scaduto
1 year ago
A wonderful essay. Thanks. So nice to see serious people writing about things we can do, now.
I particularly appreciated the idea of setting fences 150 meters away from the edge of the extent forests and just leaving the forest to do its thing. In ten years the “buffer zone” will be filled in. In twenty it will be forest. In thirty it will be almost indistiguishable from the old forest.
Often, there are too many voices involved in planning conservation projects; too many people with too much education, I suppose, all clamoring for input. The truth is, if we just get out of the way, and stop doing harm, the project will bear fruit by itself. Nature is intensely, surprisingly vigorous. We don’t really understand, nor do we need to understand, the mechanisms involved. Just step back and let it happen.
jmo
1 year ago
Fascinating, I never knew about this, thanks
jmo
1 year ago
Fascinating, I never knew about this, thanks
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
“a dark and forbidding place for Rome’s colonial adventurers to venture into and civilise”. Perhaps we can now acknowledge that that noble project has been an abject failure?
However the best of luck to Mr Shrubsole (what an apposite name!) in his noble endeavour. One has to wonder though with our ever increasing population, both legal and illegal, will ‘we’ still be able to afford the luxury of an English Rain Forest?
For myself, and without wishing to denigrate Devon I think the finest example(s) are to found in West Penwith, Cornwall.
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
“a dark and forbidding place for Rome’s colonial adventurers to venture into and civilise”. Perhaps we can now acknowledge that that noble project has been an abject failure?
However the best of luck to Mr Shrubsole (what an apposite name!) in his noble endeavour. One has to wonder though with our ever increasing population, both legal and illegal, will ‘we’ still be able to afford the luxury of an English Rain Forest?
For myself, and without wishing to denigrate Devon I think the finest example(s) are to found in West Penwith, Cornwall.
Dougie Undersub
1 year ago
Deer-wrecked moorland? But try and control the deer and you’ll have the eco-warriors against you.
Whenever I suggest bringing back wolves, bobcats, bears, and other predators, the eco-warriors are always quick to say no. They don’t actually want to protect the environment because they don’t understand what it means to do so. They think farming and coal/oil are the only things that affect the environment but they never once mention herbivore overpopulation or ecology in general.
Chris Loder MP(Con West Dorset) is opposed to the re-introduction of the white-tail eagle in Dorset. He says they will predate lambs. I suppose they might, but to a far lesser extent than out-of-control dogs.
This is the tension; between people who want to re-introduce and re-wild, and people who want to farm, to develop, and to keep cats and dogs
Chris Loder MP(Con West Dorset) is opposed to the re-introduction of the white-tail eagle in Dorset. He says they will predate lambs. I suppose they might, but to a far lesser extent than out-of-control dogs.
This is the tension; between people who want to re-introduce and re-wild, and people who want to farm, to develop, and to keep cats and dogs
Whenever I suggest bringing back wolves, bobcats, bears, and other predators, the eco-warriors are always quick to say no. They don’t actually want to protect the environment because they don’t understand what it means to do so. They think farming and coal/oil are the only things that affect the environment but they never once mention herbivore overpopulation or ecology in general.
Deer-wrecked moorland? But try and control the deer and you’ll have the eco-warriors against you.
Ross Jolliffe
1 year ago
The boundary margin fencing idea is a good one; natural, native regeneration assured, a species-rich development over many years, no imported plants and no tree-shelters etc.
Ross Jolliffe
1 year ago
The boundary margin fencing idea is a good one; natural, native regeneration assured, a species-rich development over many years, no imported plants and no tree-shelters etc.
Peter Johnson
1 year ago
I live in British Columbia and spend a lot of time in the wilderness – including it’s extensive coastal rain forests. If you visit the area around Vancouver you can hike through forests of massive trees. What most visitors don’t realize is that these forests were all clear cut around a hundred years ago and they are hiking among ‘new’ trees. You can still see the old growth stumps with the loggers notches. The author is correct that with very little help the forest will regenerate within a human lifetime. I was hiking in a mountain clearcut just this fall – maybe 20 years old. It was already almost impassable due to regrowth – I actually had to turn around and abandon my trip because my progress was so slow.
Peter Johnson
1 year ago
I live in British Columbia and spend a lot of time in the wilderness – including it’s extensive coastal rain forests. If you visit the area around Vancouver you can hike through forests of massive trees. What most visitors don’t realize is that these forests were all clear cut around a hundred years ago and they are hiking among ‘new’ trees. You can still see the old growth stumps with the loggers notches. The author is correct that with very little help the forest will regenerate within a human lifetime. I was hiking in a mountain clearcut just this fall – maybe 20 years old. It was already almost impassable due to regrowth – I actually had to turn around and abandon my trip because my progress was so slow.
Jeff Cunningham
1 year ago
My first thought from the picture was it was the Olympic rain forest, here where I live. 140 inches a year typically. It dropped 6 inches in a day a couple weeks ago.
Jeff Cunningham
1 year ago
My first thought from the picture was it was the Olympic rain forest, here where I live. 140 inches a year typically. It dropped 6 inches in a day a couple weeks ago.
Will Will
1 year ago
I thought most of the trees in this country (including in Deon and Cornwall and Wales) were felled millennia ago, and earlier than had been thought by 20th century historians. I am no fan of the aesthetically ghastly conifer plantations but understand why they were planted. Just as I understand why uplands have been grazed for millennia. The UK a population continues to grow apace and we need to produce more agricultural and forestry products domestically. I am not a fan of rewilding which reminds me of people who want to learn and converse in dead languages and even require others to do so.
“The UK a population continues to grow apace” or maybe we should look at trying to reduce our population. Encourage those who were not born here, or citizens, to return to their native land. If we could return population to 40m then…
“The UK a population continues to grow apace” or maybe we should look at trying to reduce our population. Encourage those who were not born here, or citizens, to return to their native land. If we could return population to 40m then…
Will Will
1 year ago
I thought most of the trees in this country (including in Deon and Cornwall and Wales) were felled millennia ago, and earlier than had been thought by 20th century historians. I am no fan of the aesthetically ghastly conifer plantations but understand why they were planted. Just as I understand why uplands have been grazed for millennia. The UK a population continues to grow apace and we need to produce more agricultural and forestry products domestically. I am not a fan of rewilding which reminds me of people who want to learn and converse in dead languages and even require others to do so.
Andrew Holmes
1 year ago
As an American fan of “Doc Martin”, does this mean that it rains in Britain?
Andrew Holmes
1 year ago
As an American fan of “Doc Martin”, does this mean that it rains in Britain?
Paul Hemphill
1 year ago
”once covering up to a fifth of Britain’s landmass, concentrated on the western seaboard where Atlantic rains still shroud the steep hills in mist and gloom, Britain’s temperate rainforests have been felled, grazed and overplanted so ruthlessly that they now cover less than 0.5% of the country”.
Recall the many place names in England that bear the suffix “in Arden”, meaning “great Forest”, finding its roots deep in the Forest of Arden. The home to myth, imagination, and literary inspiration. Sherwood Forest of Robin Hood fame once covered a good proportion of the north Midlands, though most of it was gone by the time of the Norman Conquest. The New Forest was likewise expansive.
A very interesting article. I had no idea there was even a sliver of rainforest left in the UK. I’m fortunate to have visited the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, USA, several times. It includes the Olympic National Park which protects roughly a million acres of mountains and temperate rain forest. I certainly recommend a visit if you enjoy the outdoors.
Even in the US, our massive forest legacy has been brutally destroyed. The practice of “clear cutting” forests is one of the most environmentally destructive acts imaginable.
I wish Mr. Shrubsole, and other stewards of the land, best of luck in their attempts to protect the UK’s remaining rainforests. I suggest, though, they base their advocacy on an appeal to environmentalism rather than tradition, history, and myth. Sadly, too many “thought leaders” in the UK are intent on deconstructing Britain’s history and culture.
Britain*
“I suggest, though, they base their advocacy on an appeal to environmentalism rather than tradition, history, and myth. Sadly, too many “thought leaders” in the UK are intent on deconstructing Britain’s history and culture.”
I think they can do both. The environmentalism would hopefully bring in the environmentalists (which I highly doubt it would because they don’t really care about the environment) and the true conservatives who want to see Britain grow, thrive and become connected to its past. I’d even go a step further and start advocating digging up concrete roads, and allowing plants and trees to thrive in the boundary, creating even more opportunities to bring back tree cover. We have too much concrete.
Britain*
“I suggest, though, they base their advocacy on an appeal to environmentalism rather than tradition, history, and myth. Sadly, too many “thought leaders” in the UK are intent on deconstructing Britain’s history and culture.”
I think they can do both. The environmentalism would hopefully bring in the environmentalists (which I highly doubt it would because they don’t really care about the environment) and the true conservatives who want to see Britain grow, thrive and become connected to its past. I’d even go a step further and start advocating digging up concrete roads, and allowing plants and trees to thrive in the boundary, creating even more opportunities to bring back tree cover. We have too much concrete.
A very interesting article. I had no idea there was even a sliver of rainforest left in the UK. I’m fortunate to have visited the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, USA, several times. It includes the Olympic National Park which protects roughly a million acres of mountains and temperate rain forest. I certainly recommend a visit if you enjoy the outdoors.
Even in the US, our massive forest legacy has been brutally destroyed. The practice of “clear cutting” forests is one of the most environmentally destructive acts imaginable.
I wish Mr. Shrubsole, and other stewards of the land, best of luck in their attempts to protect the UK’s remaining rainforests. I suggest, though, they base their advocacy on an appeal to environmentalism rather than tradition, history, and myth. Sadly, too many “thought leaders” in the UK are intent on deconstructing Britain’s history and culture.
Would be good in so many ways if we can do this. “The works of nature are a freshly spoken word of God” -Goethe
Would be good in so many ways if we can do this. “The works of nature are a freshly spoken word of God” -Goethe
Inspired piece of writing. Let’s hope it is heard and heeded at the Duchy of Cornwall. UHERD seems to encompass an interesting tension between pastoralists and denouncers of “eco-fascism”.
Ecological scientists have known about and studied UK rainforests for years, there are numerous references to them in the scientific literature going back 20 years at least and they were first referred to as a distinct entity by forest ecologist Peterken in the 1990s. I know many researchers and botanists alike have made suggestions and representations to the bodies responsible for protecting important habitat to increase protection and extent of our rainforests, but to no effect. It will be good if Mr Shrubsole’s campaign increases legal protection and expansion of rainforest remnants, but it will also prove that society would rather listen to social media campaigners than scientists, which is very sad.
Ecological scientists have known about and studied UK rainforests for years, there are numerous references to them in the scientific literature going back 20 years at least and they were first referred to as a distinct entity by forest ecologist Peterken in the 1990s. I know many researchers and botanists alike have made suggestions and representations to the bodies responsible for protecting important habitat to increase protection and extent of our rainforests, but to no effect. It will be good if Mr Shrubsole’s campaign increases legal protection and expansion of rainforest remnants, but it will also prove that society would rather listen to social media campaigners than scientists, which is very sad.
Inspired piece of writing. Let’s hope it is heard and heeded at the Duchy of Cornwall. UHERD seems to encompass an interesting tension between pastoralists and denouncers of “eco-fascism”.
A wonderful essay. Thanks. So nice to see serious people writing about things we can do, now.
I particularly appreciated the idea of setting fences 150 meters away from the edge of the extent forests and just leaving the forest to do its thing. In ten years the “buffer zone” will be filled in. In twenty it will be forest. In thirty it will be almost indistiguishable from the old forest.
Often, there are too many voices involved in planning conservation projects; too many people with too much education, I suppose, all clamoring for input. The truth is, if we just get out of the way, and stop doing harm, the project will bear fruit by itself. Nature is intensely, surprisingly vigorous. We don’t really understand, nor do we need to understand, the mechanisms involved. Just step back and let it happen.
A wonderful essay. Thanks. So nice to see serious people writing about things we can do, now.
I particularly appreciated the idea of setting fences 150 meters away from the edge of the extent forests and just leaving the forest to do its thing. In ten years the “buffer zone” will be filled in. In twenty it will be forest. In thirty it will be almost indistiguishable from the old forest.
Often, there are too many voices involved in planning conservation projects; too many people with too much education, I suppose, all clamoring for input. The truth is, if we just get out of the way, and stop doing harm, the project will bear fruit by itself. Nature is intensely, surprisingly vigorous. We don’t really understand, nor do we need to understand, the mechanisms involved. Just step back and let it happen.
Fascinating, I never knew about this, thanks
Fascinating, I never knew about this, thanks
“a dark and forbidding place for Rome’s colonial adventurers to venture into and civilise”. Perhaps we can now acknowledge that that noble project has been an abject failure?
However the best of luck to Mr Shrubsole (what an apposite name!) in his noble endeavour. One has to wonder though with our ever increasing population, both legal and illegal, will ‘we’ still be able to afford the luxury of an English Rain Forest?
For myself, and without wishing to denigrate Devon I think the finest example(s) are to found in West Penwith, Cornwall.
“a dark and forbidding place for Rome’s colonial adventurers to venture into and civilise”. Perhaps we can now acknowledge that that noble project has been an abject failure?
However the best of luck to Mr Shrubsole (what an apposite name!) in his noble endeavour. One has to wonder though with our ever increasing population, both legal and illegal, will ‘we’ still be able to afford the luxury of an English Rain Forest?
For myself, and without wishing to denigrate Devon I think the finest example(s) are to found in West Penwith, Cornwall.
Deer-wrecked moorland? But try and control the deer and you’ll have the eco-warriors against you.
Wolves are quite partial to deer I gather.
Whenever I suggest bringing back wolves, bobcats, bears, and other predators, the eco-warriors are always quick to say no. They don’t actually want to protect the environment because they don’t understand what it means to do so. They think farming and coal/oil are the only things that affect the environment but they never once mention herbivore overpopulation or ecology in general.
Chris Loder MP(Con West Dorset) is opposed to the re-introduction of the white-tail eagle in Dorset. He says they will predate lambs. I suppose they might, but to a far lesser extent than out-of-control dogs.
This is the tension; between people who want to re-introduce and re-wild, and people who want to farm, to develop, and to keep cats and dogs
Chris Loder MP(Con West Dorset) is opposed to the re-introduction of the white-tail eagle in Dorset. He says they will predate lambs. I suppose they might, but to a far lesser extent than out-of-control dogs.
This is the tension; between people who want to re-introduce and re-wild, and people who want to farm, to develop, and to keep cats and dogs
Whenever I suggest bringing back wolves, bobcats, bears, and other predators, the eco-warriors are always quick to say no. They don’t actually want to protect the environment because they don’t understand what it means to do so. They think farming and coal/oil are the only things that affect the environment but they never once mention herbivore overpopulation or ecology in general.
Wolves are quite partial to deer I gather.
Deer-wrecked moorland? But try and control the deer and you’ll have the eco-warriors against you.
The boundary margin fencing idea is a good one; natural, native regeneration assured, a species-rich development over many years, no imported plants and no tree-shelters etc.
The boundary margin fencing idea is a good one; natural, native regeneration assured, a species-rich development over many years, no imported plants and no tree-shelters etc.
I live in British Columbia and spend a lot of time in the wilderness – including it’s extensive coastal rain forests. If you visit the area around Vancouver you can hike through forests of massive trees. What most visitors don’t realize is that these forests were all clear cut around a hundred years ago and they are hiking among ‘new’ trees. You can still see the old growth stumps with the loggers notches. The author is correct that with very little help the forest will regenerate within a human lifetime. I was hiking in a mountain clearcut just this fall – maybe 20 years old. It was already almost impassable due to regrowth – I actually had to turn around and abandon my trip because my progress was so slow.
I live in British Columbia and spend a lot of time in the wilderness – including it’s extensive coastal rain forests. If you visit the area around Vancouver you can hike through forests of massive trees. What most visitors don’t realize is that these forests were all clear cut around a hundred years ago and they are hiking among ‘new’ trees. You can still see the old growth stumps with the loggers notches. The author is correct that with very little help the forest will regenerate within a human lifetime. I was hiking in a mountain clearcut just this fall – maybe 20 years old. It was already almost impassable due to regrowth – I actually had to turn around and abandon my trip because my progress was so slow.
My first thought from the picture was it was the Olympic rain forest, here where I live. 140 inches a year typically. It dropped 6 inches in a day a couple weeks ago.
My first thought from the picture was it was the Olympic rain forest, here where I live. 140 inches a year typically. It dropped 6 inches in a day a couple weeks ago.
I thought most of the trees in this country (including in Deon and Cornwall and Wales) were felled millennia ago, and earlier than had been thought by 20th century historians. I am no fan of the aesthetically ghastly conifer plantations but understand why they were planted. Just as I understand why uplands have been grazed for millennia. The UK a population continues to grow apace and we need to produce more agricultural and forestry products domestically. I am not a fan of rewilding which reminds me of people who want to learn and converse in dead languages and even require others to do so.
Yes, back before they discovered fossil fuels, when they cut it down for pre-fossil fuel.
Similarly, agricultural output per acre was much lower before it was improved genetically – also requiring more acreage under plow.
But I wonder if this author is in favor of either of these things which are making it possible to restore these rain forests?
“The UK a population continues to grow apace” or maybe we should look at trying to reduce our population. Encourage those who were not born here, or citizens, to return to their native land. If we could return population to 40m then…
More Pixies less Pakis, are Pixie doors a good thing?
More Pixies less Pakis, are Pixie doors a good thing?
Yes, back before they discovered fossil fuels, when they cut it down for pre-fossil fuel.
Similarly, agricultural output per acre was much lower before it was improved genetically – also requiring more acreage under plow.
But I wonder if this author is in favor of either of these things which are making it possible to restore these rain forests?
“The UK a population continues to grow apace” or maybe we should look at trying to reduce our population. Encourage those who were not born here, or citizens, to return to their native land. If we could return population to 40m then…
I thought most of the trees in this country (including in Deon and Cornwall and Wales) were felled millennia ago, and earlier than had been thought by 20th century historians. I am no fan of the aesthetically ghastly conifer plantations but understand why they were planted. Just as I understand why uplands have been grazed for millennia. The UK a population continues to grow apace and we need to produce more agricultural and forestry products domestically. I am not a fan of rewilding which reminds me of people who want to learn and converse in dead languages and even require others to do so.
As an American fan of “Doc Martin”, does this mean that it rains in Britain?
As an American fan of “Doc Martin”, does this mean that it rains in Britain?
”once covering up to a fifth of Britain’s landmass, concentrated on the western seaboard where Atlantic rains still shroud the steep hills in mist and gloom, Britain’s temperate rainforests have been felled, grazed and overplanted so ruthlessly that they now cover less than 0.5% of the country”.
Recall the many place names in England that bear the suffix “in Arden”, meaning “great Forest”, finding its roots deep in the Forest of Arden. The home to myth, imagination, and literary inspiration. Sherwood Forest of Robin Hood fame once covered a good proportion of the north Midlands, though most of it was gone by the time of the Norman Conquest. The New Forest was likewise expansive.