We are the Lucky Ones. Now is Our Time

Hello everyone, my name is Luke Cross, Assistant Forest Manager in the Bala office and with this blog I hope to remind people how lucky we are to work in this industry and how important our role is for the future. This comes off the back of a new environmental report supported by 11,000 scientists to state the seriousness of climate change, to quote directly from the Washington Post whose report I have taken the following extract from: On energy, the report calls for the world to: “Implement massive energy efficiency and conservation practices and cut out fossil fuels in favor of renewable sources of energy.” a trend it notes is not happening fast enough.

Reading a lot around the environment, politics and all the uncertainty and negativity in the world now, it’s quite easy to let yourself get sucked in and feel sorry for yourself! It’s disheartening to know that we, as an industry, are trying our hardest to deliver a sustainable future whilst meeting road blocks and issues at what can feel like every turn!

However, don’t despair! Take a deep breath and carry out a site visit. It’s at this point for me that everything drops into perspective. I was walking over one of our managed properties in Staffordshire looking at our restock and reviewing some of the other operations we’ve been carrying out over the last few months. We are very lucky to have that breathing space. People with the more ’usual‘ jobs must wait for the weekend to enjoy the same things we get to do as a job.

That breathing space can provide reassurance. It is a good time to remind ourselves how important forestry is for the future, points which have been covered repeatedly in previous blogs (check them out!). It feels like we’re on the brink of a big shift in environmental policy; the momentum is growing from the bottom up and top down to get more trees in the ground. We, as an industry, are in the prime position to deliver these requirements. Our skills as professionals, which are largely unknown to the wider public, will continue to gain increasing coverage and understanding. Who knows, one day we will get to tell people we are foresters without a confused and blank face looking back in return!

Equally, I think it’s important to reassure stakeholders we are looking to plant sustainable forestry for the future and that it takes environmental, social and economic drivers into consideration. We still need food and we still need bogs for their important ecological roles but we are able to sustainably fit forestry In and around these vital functions of the landscape.

I hope the increasing coverage and understanding of the wider public will naturally alleviate some of the hurdles mentioned in previous blogs! We’re all in this industry to do our part for the environment so now is our time to lead that charge and prove it! Lets’ get some trees in the ground and if you do need some breathing space, remember we are the lucky ones who can visit the woods and take in the landscapes as part of our everyday lives!