Latest news with #KielderForest
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Kielder Forest's first osprey chicks of the year hatch
The first osprey chicks of the year have hatched at one of their most important sites in chicks hatched at Kielder Forest, in Northumberland, earlier this week despite what were described as "less than ideal" conditions with wind and year saw the ospreys' earliest recorded return to the national park from sub-Saharan Africa with a sighting on 21 March - three days ahead of the previous first led to hopes of an improved breeding season after 12 chicks failed to fledge last year. The park is awaiting possible further hatchings this a Facebook post announcing the new arrivals, it said: "Conditions have been less than ideal here, with wind and rain causing a few wobbles but we're hopeful for a few more hatching over the weekend."There have been some excellent parenting skills on show and, with a steady diet of Kielder's rainbow trout, the chicks will grow quickly."Once found throughout the UK, wild ospreys were persecuted and the species became extinct in England in 1847 and in Scotland in in 2009 ospreys were born for the first time in Northumberland in more than 200 years, with more than 120 successfully fledging since are now approximately 350 breeding pairs in the UK, mostly in Scotland, but numbers in England and Wales have been slowly increasing. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
It is time to stop the Forestry Commission destroying our beautiful peatlands
At first glance, one might imagine that the primary purpose of the Forestry Commission was the preservation of our ancient and most beautiful forests. Its website and posters depict broadleaf trees and sunny, sylvan glades. Indeed, the preservation of these sumptuous places is one of its main objectives. But there is another and arguably more important one: the promotion of commercial forestry. Much of the UK's uplands are carpeted in Sitka spruce so closely planted that it is difficult for any other form of wildlife to survive. In the Northumberland National Park vast armies of Sitka spruce, which produces low-grade timber for us as fence posts, kitchen furniture and laminate floors, march across some of our most scenic uplands. More than 20 per cent of the national park is carpeted in commercial forestry, much of it planted in deep peat, and the park management are powerless to stop it. The vast Kielder Forest, part of which is within the park, is among the least diverse habitats in the country. In 2011, in response to mounting criticism from conservationists, the Forestry Commission advised land managers to avoid planting in deep peat. There was, however, a large loophole. The advice applied only to new planting. Forests already planted in deep peat, as many are, would continue to be replanted, regardless of the environmental consequences. The first big test of this new policy has occurred in Northumberland where the 852 hectare Uswayford forest, at the head of the beautiful Coquet valley, is about to be harvested. The national park authority enjoys good relations with the local forestry management and a period of negotiation resulted in a suggested compromise that one third of the forest in the most sensitive areas would not be replanted, another third would be replanted with native broadleaf trees, and the final third would revert to commercial conifers. However, when this proposition was put to the Commission's senior management, they rejected it outright. Instead, they insisted on 71 per cent of the site being replanted with conifers, 21 per cent with broadleaf trees, and just under eight per cent reserved for the restoration of peat. When challenged, Forestry England replies that they have been set targets by the Government to reduce the import of timber imports, much of which comes from Scandinavia and Canada. As it happens, national parks have targets, too. Ironically, they too are set by Defra, the very Government department which sets targets for the Forestry Commission. Landowners in the Northumberland national park are funded by the taxpayer to restore damaged peatland, and the park authority has a successful programme doing exactly that. The Forestry Commission also deploys another argument. Namely, that conifer plantations are as effective as peat bogs at absorbing carbon dioxide. The weakness of this argument is that commercial forests are harvested every 30 or 40 years and turned into products which have a limited shelf life, whereas peat continues to absorb carbon indefinitely. It is also worth bearing in mind that, once peat has been replanted three times, it is beyond salvation. The case for restoring the Uswayford deep peat is that, thus far, it has only been replanted once; It could still be saved. Ultimately Defra ministers need to decide on priorities. If they are interested in preserving ancient peat and the carbon locked inside it, they need to stop the Forestry Commission from destroying them. A good place to start would be in the national parks. Happily, there is an obvious solution at hand. At the moment, although most national parks have responsibility for planning and development, forestry is exempted. Perhaps the time has come for the planning powers of the national parks to be extended to cover forestry, rather than allowing the Forestry Commission to be its own judge and jury.
BBC News
11-05-2025
- BBC News
Kielder Forest mountain bike trails unveiled in Northumberland
New mountain bike trails have been unveiled in Kielder well as a new route at Deadwater Fell, there will also be upgrades to an existing England official Alex MacLennan said the additions cemented the forest's position as one of the UK's "premier mountain biking destinations". Northumberland tourism bosses said they hoped it would attract new cycling events to the area. The team unveiled a new 650m (0.4 mile) route, designed specifically for relatively experienced mountain bikers, as well as upgrades to a 565m (0.35 mile) trail for expert MacLennan said the number of routes with varying levels of difficulty on the site allowed riders "to develop their skills while experiencing the incredible natural beauty of Kielder Forest"."The sensation of emerging from dense woodland on to ridgelines with epic 360-degree views creates a truly unforgettable mountain biking adventure that we hope will keep cyclists coming back time and again," he said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
