[senorjazz]

I often rant about this, when people from home bemoan about tropical deforestation (which is of course terrible) and go on about how "they" are destroying the planet. When asking what they are doing about the problem closer to home they look at me like I am crazy.

Where are the protests to confiscate arable land for reforestation in the UK. Where is the public will to pay a higher % for food due to less arable land. Where is the willingness to accept a lower standard of living (in the short term at least) due to reforestation of the UK. All of which they expect of 3rd world countries, but not for their home country.

The above is never going to happen, but I often wonder whether instead of hegerows around the patchwork of fields we have in the UK it is mandated to be 2-3 trees thick. Sure some land would be lost, but not much and as anyone who has flown into the UK, a huge % of the country is a patchwork of fields, that should be a significant number of new tree planting

[NeedMoreTea]

Course the traditional laid hedgerows usually had trees spaced along them as well, sometimes quite closely. The best country lanes are those with traditional hedges either side, where the trees have met to create a green shaded tunnel. They brought in some regulations around hedgerows not too long ago, but it seemed like too little, far too late. Limiting field size seems overdue too given how much they've changed, even over my lifetime.

Coming from the north of England, I'm often struck when I get to Scotland or down south just how extra sparse trees seem across the north.

I would dearly love to see progress to reforest the UK.

[radicalbyte]

Same here. The place where I grew up in Devon was beautiful, loads of trees and farmland. Only it was all flattened 25 years ago and replace with big ugly houses.