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      <author>Paul Thompson</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Defra consults on natural environment policy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has begun consulting on issues and measures which could be key to the Government&amp;rsquo;s first environmental White Paper for 20 years. The department has promised to publish a Natural Environment White Paper in spring 2011.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Environment secretary Caroline Spelman said: &amp;ldquo;We have the opportunity to be the generation that puts a stop to the piecemeal degradation of our natural environment. We want to see a real positive change in the future of our natural environment &amp;ndash; one which supports a stronger economy and better quality life.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;She added: &amp;ldquo;The economy and the natural environment have historically been pitted against each other as if they were competing choices, rather than being mutually interdependent. Reducing the deficit and ensuring the economic recovery are the Government&amp;rsquo;s top priorities but greater knowledge of the value provided by natural systems and the high costs associated with their degradation means that the economy and the environment cannot be separated.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

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      <pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:21:27 GMT</pubDate>

      <pubDateParsed>2010-07-30T10:21:27</pubDateParsed>

      <title>Defra consults on natural environment policy</title>

    </item>

    <item>

      <author>Admin</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; border-collapse: separate; font: 16px 'Times New Roman'; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0,0,0); word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px" class="Apple-style-span"&gt;&lt;span style="line-height: 18px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(70,70,70); font-size: 13px" class="Apple-style-span"&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px" class="first"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A species of bat never seen before in the UK has been discovered in caves in Yorkshire and Sussex.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;Myotis alcathoe, or Alcathoe's bat, was found in woodland in Rydedale in the North York Moors National Park and the South Downs of Sussex.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;The bats, which are about the size of the end of a thumb, were identified by researchers from Leeds and Sheffield universities.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;It is believed they could be present in other parts of Britain.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;The bats were found during a Europe-wide study of bat population ecology and genetics.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'Swarming' sites&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;The species was discovered in Greece in 2001 and is a native of continental Europe, but until now it was presumed that the English Channel had acted as a barrier preventing it from reaching the UK.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;Researchers believe the bat has not been spotted before because its appearance is similar to other species.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;Professor John Altringham, from the University of Leeds, said: &amp;quot;Most of the bats were captured as they entered underground 'swarming' sites, where bats gather to mate before going into hibernation.&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;He said the discovery took the number of bat species established in the UK from 16 to 17.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;Brian Walker, Forestry Commission wildlife officer for the North York Moors, said: &amp;quot;We have some incredibly rich bat habitats in North Yorkshire.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="padding-bottom: 10px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 0px"&gt;&amp;quot;It was only a few years ago that work locally helped to confirm that the common pipistrelle was actually made up of two different species.&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

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      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2010 12:19:31 GMT</pubDate>

      <pubDateParsed>2010-05-04T12:19:31</pubDateParsed>

      <title>Alcathoe's bat discovered in Yorkshire and Sussex</title>

    </item>

    <item>

      <author>Paul Thompson</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;h2&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;23 November 2009&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div class="intro"&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As the autumnal nights draw in, almost all of the 17 species of bat found in the UK - of which nine are found in North East England - are quietly seeking out suitable sites for hibernation. Whilst some will find hollows in trees or caves in which to roost, many others will shelter in buildings, behind hanging tiles and boarding, or in roof spaces.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The use of buildings for roosts is not new. As land use has intensified and tree cover diminished over the centuries, so bats have adapted to make use of man-made structures.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;David Hirst of Natural England North East, said: &amp;ldquo;If a roost is found, there is no need to be unduly concerned; bats are exceptionally clean creatures, they do not build nests and will not gnaw at wood or wiring.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;After mating in the autumn, pregnant females will gather together in the summer in maternity roosts to have their young. For up to five weeks the young are suckled by their mothers until they are able to fly and venture out from the roost to forage for food.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The decline in numbers of all species of bats in recent years is largely due to loss of the bat&amp;rsquo;s natural habitat such as hedgerows, woodlands and ponds as well as a reduction in insect life, their food.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In urban areas, it is easy to help bats by putting up bat boxes and growing specific plants in the garden as well as creating ponds to attract insects.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As one of the most useful and natural forms of pest control, bats are also useful indicators of biodiversity and are now providing an indication of the state of our environment as a whole.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Recently launched by Natural England, the Big Wildlife Garden, is an innovative web site that has created an online network of gardens and open spaces and encourages people of all ages to discover how to attract more wildlife into their gardens.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;David added: &amp;ldquo;The Big Wildlife Garden is for anyone who is passionate about encouraging wildlife to their garden. It is a great way to ensure that the 19 million gardens in England fulfil their potential as hugely valuable habitats on which so many species depend.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Across rural England, Higher Level Stewardship agreements, Natural England&amp;rsquo;s flagship agri-environment scheme, are providing funding for farmers and land managers to protect and restore hedgerows and native woodland as well as a host of other important habitats such as orchards, blanket bog and species rich grasslands.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The National Bat Helpline is 0845 1300228 and is run by the Bat Conservation Trust in association with Natural England and provides information to anyone needing advice on issues relating to bats. Answers to frequently asked bat questions can also be found at &lt;a href="http://www.bats.org.uk/"&gt;www.bats.org.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;-ends-&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bat Fact File&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;1. There are 17 species of bat in the UK, all of which are protected by law because their numbers have decreased so dramatically&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;2. A single pipistrelle can consume up to 3000 gnats in one night and 70 percent of all bat species are insectivores (All bats in the UK feed on insects)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;3. Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;4. Worldwide, bats represent 20 percent of all classified mammal species&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;5. Bats usually only have one baby per year and can live up to 30 years&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;6. Bats do not gnaw at wood or wiring&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;7. Bats do not build nests&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;8. Bats are clean animals; they spend many hours grooming every day&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;9. The pipistrelle weighs around 5g, less than a &amp;pound;1 coin&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;10. The brown long eared bat has exceptional hearing; it can hear a ladybird walking&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The nine species of bats found in North East England are:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Daubenton&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Noctule&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Pipistrelle (commonest)&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Soprano pipistrelle&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Brown long-Eared&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Leisler&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Natterer&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Whiskered&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Brandt&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;/li&gt;

&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bats and Buildings&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;

Guidance on Bats and other protected species: please visit our &lt;a title="bats" href="http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/regulation/wildlife/species/bats.aspx" xmlns:tridion="http://www.tridion.com/ContentManager/5.0"&gt;wildlife species pages.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Natural England&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;

Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Big Wildlife Garden&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;

The &lt;a href="http://www.bwg.naturalengland.org.uk/"&gt;Big Wildlife Garden&lt;/a&gt; is part of Natural England&amp;rsquo;s &amp;lsquo;One Million Children Outdoors&amp;rsquo; programme which launched in April 2009. By summer, children all over the country were taking part in free outdoor activities all over England associated with this campaign. Please see our &lt;a title="020409" href="http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/about_us/news/2009/020409.aspx" xmlns:tridion="http://www.tridion.com/ContentManager/5.0"&gt;related press release&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Big Wildlife Garden web site is operated by Natural England, the government&amp;rsquo;s statutory conservation advisor for England. The web site recognises the fact that gardens represent an important area of natural habitat for many species, and that gardening in a wildlife friendly manner can considerably increase the diversity of plants and animals in every garden.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Big Wildlife Garden is free for anyone of any age to join and is open to individuals, schools or community groups.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Biodiversity&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;

'Biodiversity' is a term commonly used to describe the variety of life on Earth. This encompasses the whole of the natural world and all living things with which we share the planet. It includes plants, animals, even invisible micro-organisms and bacteria which, together, interact in complex ways with the inanimate environment to create living ecosystems.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Biodiversity is all around us: not just in wild places and nature reserves but also in our cities, the places we live and work, our farmland and our countryside. We are an integral part of this biodiversity and exert a major influence over it.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UK Biodiversity Indicators&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;

In 2008 the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) included bats in their set of &amp;lsquo;indicator species,' which help measure progress towards the Government's target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010. The indicators show changes in aspects of biodiversity such as the population size of important species or the area of land managed for wildlife. They provide part of the evidence to assess whether the targets set out above have been achieved.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The six species used as indicator species are the noctule, lesser horseshoe bat, common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, serotine and Daubenton's bat&lt;/p&gt;</description>

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      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:16:31 GMT</pubDate>

      <pubDateParsed>2009-11-30T21:16:31</pubDateParsed>

      <title>Give bats a helping hand to hibernate</title>

    </item>

    <item>

      <author>Paul Thompson</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;table class="storycontent" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"&gt;

    &lt;tbody&gt;

        &lt;tr&gt;

            &lt;td colspan="2"&gt;

            &lt;div class="mxb"&gt;

            &lt;h1&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h1&gt;

            &lt;/div&gt;

            &lt;/td&gt;

        &lt;/tr&gt;

        &lt;tr&gt;

            &lt;td class="storybody"&gt;&lt;!-- S BO --&gt;&lt;!-- S IIMA --&gt;

            &lt;table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="226" align="right" border="0"&gt;

                &lt;tbody&gt;

                    &lt;tr&gt;

                        &lt;td&gt;

                        &lt;div&gt;&lt;img height="170" alt="Infected oak trunk. Image: Forestry Commission" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46796000/jpg/_46796449_infectedoaktrunk.jpg" width="226" border="0" /&gt;

                        &lt;div class="cap"&gt;Sudden oak death spread to the UK in 2002&lt;/div&gt;

                        &lt;/div&gt;

                        &lt;/td&gt;

                    &lt;/tr&gt;

                &lt;/tbody&gt;

            &lt;/table&gt;

            &lt;!-- E IIMA --&gt;&lt;!-- S SF --&gt;

            &lt;p class="first"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trees and shrubs surrounding a medieval monument in Cardiff are to be removed and burned after a plant disease which can be deadly to trees was found.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;The fungal infection known as sudden oak death was found at the Moundfield motte in Morganstown during works to conserve the 11th Century site.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;A nearby football pitch is being shut temporarily while the burning takes place throughout the rest of 2009.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;The site will be fenced off for up to five years until it is free of disease.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;!-- E SF --&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;The infection, officially called Phytophthora ramorum, was detected on rhododendron bushes routinely tested as part of a conservation management plan for the motte, or fortified mound, in early November.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;The council is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to destroy the affected vegetation.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'Beyond control'&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;The Moundfield site is waterlogged, which provides the fungal spores with an ideal environment to spread.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;The motte is listed with Cadw and the conservation agency had to give permission for the work to be carried out.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;Councillor Nigel Howells, Cardiff's executive member for sport, leisure and culture, said: &amp;quot;Outbreaks like this are beyond the council's control and we are acting quickly, under instruction from Defra, to contain and eliminate this problem.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Unfortunately this area will have to remain fenced off for some while, with a football pitch also out of commission for several months.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;However, it is vitally important that we destroy all the infected plants to prevent this problem spreading and the measures we are taking are vital to ensure that this is done properly.&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;A Defra spokesman urged members of the public to observe access restrictions and to keep dogs on leads to prevent the infection from spreading further.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p&gt;The disease is not harmful to people.&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;!-- E BO --&gt;&lt;/td&gt;

        &lt;/tr&gt;

    &lt;/tbody&gt;

&lt;/table&gt;</description>

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      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:34:02 GMT</pubDate>

      <pubDateParsed>2009-11-26T15:34:02</pubDateParsed>

      <title>'Oak death' affects medieval site</title>

    </item>

    <item>

      <author>Paul Thompson</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;table class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 422.35pt; mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="563" border="0"&gt;

    &lt;tbody&gt;

        &lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"&gt;

            &lt;td style="border-right: #ebe9ed; padding-right: 0cm; border-top: #ebe9ed; padding-left: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0cm; border-left: #ebe9ed; padding-top: 0cm; border-bottom: #ebe9ed; background-color: transparent"&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 2.7pt 0cm 8.05pt"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;/td&gt;

        &lt;/tr&gt;

        &lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"&gt;

            &lt;td style="border-right: #ebe9ed; padding-right: 0cm; border-top: #ebe9ed; padding-left: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0cm; border-left: #ebe9ed; width: 250.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; border-bottom: #ebe9ed; background-color: transparent" valign="top" width="334"&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;Millions of trees should be planted to cover an extra 4% of the UK in woodland in order to tackle climate change, the Forestry Commission has recommended.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;It said planting 23,000 hectares a year would make a &amp;quot;significant&amp;quot; contribution to meeting lower emissions targets. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;Trees suck carbon dioxide from the air and store it in wood, cutting the level of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said the government would work to ensure the planting programme happened. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;'Carbon locked up'&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;He said: &amp;quot;We cannot underestimate the role that trees will play in reducing our carbon emissions. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;&amp;quot;Greater forest cover can help us achieve this either through directly absorbing CO2 or by providing more sustainable materials for construction and renewable energy.&amp;quot; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;The recommended planting - equivalent to 30,000 football pitches a year - would bring the UK's total woodland cover to 16%. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;Professor Sir David Read, chairman of a panel of scientists who carried out the research, said: &amp;quot;By increasing our tree cover we can lock up carbon directly. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;&amp;quot;By using more wood for fuel and construction materials we can make savings by using less gas, oil and coal, and by substituting sustainably produced timber for less climate-friendly materials.&amp;quot; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;The researchers said carbon storage declined as younger trees matured, so tripling tree planting could help reverse those declines.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;The study suggested planting a diverse mix of native broadleaf trees rather than replacing the dense conifer plantations which are now being felled. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;It is hoped the latest plan would absorb 10% of the UK's target of slashing its emissions of greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;Sue Holden, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, said her conservation charity had called for native tree cover to double. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;She said: &amp;quot;The UK is one of the least-wooded countries in Europe. There is an urgent need to create landscapes that enable wildlife and people to better adapt to climate change. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;&amp;quot;New native trees and woodland would help make existing habitats more resilient and increase opportunities for wildlife to move in response to change. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;&amp;quot;They would also substantially improve water quality, reduce flooding, counter air pollution and cool our towns and cities.&amp;quot; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;Mr Benn added: &amp;quot;As a nation we need to plant a very large number of trees over the next 40 years to tackle climate change by bringing down our carbon emissions. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;&amp;quot;The government will work with communities and businesses to ensure that this happens.&amp;quot; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;/td&gt;

        &lt;/tr&gt;

    &lt;/tbody&gt;

&lt;/table&gt;</description>

      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/plan-to-boost-uk-woodland-to-tackle-climate-change/</guid>

      <link>http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/plan-to-boost-uk-woodland-to-tackle-climate-change/</link>

      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:08:56 GMT</pubDate>

      <pubDateParsed>2009-11-26T09:08:56</pubDateParsed>

      <title>Plan to boost UK woodland to tackle climate change</title>

    </item>

    <item>

      <author>Paul Thompson</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;November 24, 2009 -- Law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP has &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;recovered 300,000 in compensation for an art lecturer at Southgate &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;College who suffered major injuries when he was hit by a falling tree. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;Mr M, a 58 year old from Tottenham in North London, was walking in the &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;grounds of the college when a diseased copper beech tree fell, knocking &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;him unconscious.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;As a result of the accident, he suffered major injuries including a &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;fractured skull and three fractures to his spine. He went on to develop &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;a stammer and a twitch and was diagnosed as suffering from both Post &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression as a result of the &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;accident. Mr M had to retire from his job at Southgate College for &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;medical reasons.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;Amenity Sports Management Ltd (ASM), the company employed by Southgate &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;College to undertake general grounds maintenance work on the campus, &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;admitted liability and agreed to compensate Mr M.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;Mark Bowman, the personal injury &amp;lt;&lt;a _tesavedurl="http://www.personalinjury.ffw.com/" href="http://www.personalinjury.ffw.com/"&gt;http://www.personalinjury.ffw.com/&lt;/a&gt;&amp;gt; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;lawyer at Field Fisher Waterhouse who acted for Mr M on this claim, &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;said: &amp;ldquo;It was tricky to determine whether the employer, its contractor &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;or subcontractor was responsible for the accident. I am happy with the &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;outcome of the case and glad that Mr M will now receive compensation to &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;cover the costs of his treatments and to make up for the loss of &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;earnings resulting from his early retirement.&amp;rdquo;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;Case Number: 25588.52 Queen's Bench Division High Court&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/163-300-000-compensation-for-man-hit-by-falling-tree/</guid>

      <link>http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/163-300-000-compensation-for-man-hit-by-falling-tree/</link>

      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:07:00 GMT</pubDate>

      <pubDateParsed>2009-11-26T09:07:00</pubDateParsed>

      <title>Compensation for man hit by falling tree</title>

    </item>

    <item>

      <author>Paul Thompson</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;table class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 422.35pt; mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="563" border="0"&gt;

    &lt;tbody&gt;

        &lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"&gt;

            &lt;td style="border-right: #ebe9ed; padding-right: 0cm; border-top: #ebe9ed; padding-left: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0cm; border-left: #ebe9ed; padding-top: 0cm; border-bottom: #ebe9ed; background-color: transparent"&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 2.7pt 0cm 8.05pt"&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;/td&gt;

        &lt;/tr&gt;

        &lt;tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"&gt;

            &lt;td style="border-right: #ebe9ed; padding-right: 0cm; border-top: #ebe9ed; padding-left: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0cm; border-left: #ebe9ed; width: 250.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; border-bottom: #ebe9ed; background-color: transparent" valign="top" width="334"&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;A van driver has died after his vehicle was struck by a falling tree on a road in West Sussex.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;The man, who was aged in his 40s, was trapped in his van in Bramlands Lane, Woodmancote, near Henfield. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and the Sussex Police helicopter attended the incident at 1240 GMT, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 16.8pt"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #464646; font-family: &amp;quot;Verdana&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;"&gt;No other vehicles were involved in the incident, which led to the closure of Bramlands Lane for a short time. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

            &lt;/td&gt;

        &lt;/tr&gt;

    &lt;/tbody&gt;

&lt;/table&gt;</description>

      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/van-driver-killed-by-falling-tree/</guid>

      <link>http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/van-driver-killed-by-falling-tree/</link>

      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:05:20 GMT</pubDate>

      <pubDateParsed>2009-11-26T09:05:20</pubDateParsed>

      <title>Van driver killed by falling tree</title>

    </item>

    <item>

      <author>Paul Thompson</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;h4&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h4&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As most of us know opposition parties, and indeed ruling parties, often promise things they can't (or won't) deliver in order to receive votes. By this token we can't be sure what the Conservatives will do if they get into power. However if we go by what they are currently claiming then it looks likely they they will abolish HIPs completely if they win the next election. Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps has said on many occasions he would get rid of HIPs if he had the chance, blaming them for properties being taken off the market as owners are reluctant to pay for the pack.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Whilst the Conservatives may be keen to get rid of HIPs it seems if Labour stay in power the packs will be here to stay with the Government still actively supporting the initiative, regardless of the criticism lobbied at them.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/conservatives-to-abolish-hips/</guid>

      <link>http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/conservatives-to-abolish-hips/</link>

      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:57:13 GMT</pubDate>

      <pubDateParsed>2009-11-26T08:57:13</pubDateParsed>

      <title>Conservatives to Abolish HIPS? </title>

    </item>

    <item>

      <author>Paul Thompson</author>

      <category domain="http://marishalthompson.co.uk/news/">News</category>

      <description>&lt;h2 class="sub-heading padding-top-5 padding-bottom-15"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;Britain is set to plunder the lungs of the world to feed its growing hunger for wood to burn in power stations.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;A series of biomass-fired plants are being built in the UK that will trigger a 150 per cent surge in timber imports from 20 million tonnes today to 50 million tonnes by 2015, according to the Forestry Commission.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;British power plants are already shipping wood from Canada, Brazil, Scandinavia and South Korea.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Just one of the new biomass plants at Port Talbot, South Wales, will consume three million tonnes of wood per year &amp;mdash; equivalent to 30 per cent of the UK&amp;rsquo;s domestic annual wood harvest of ten million tonnes.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;But the plant, which is due to open in 2012, will generate only 300 megawatt hours of electricity, or about 0.4 per cent of the UK's current power-generating capacity. At least four more 300-megawatt plants are planned, including three in Yorkshire that have been proposed by Drax, operator of Britain&amp;rsquo;s largest coal-fired power station. Another company, MGT, plans to build one on Teesside.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;A spokesman for Prenergy, which is behind the Port Talbot plant, said 90 per cent of its wood supplies would be imported, although he insisted that all of it would be sourced from proven sustainable sources.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless, environmental campaigners have raised concerns about the carbon emissions involved in shipping the wood such large distances, while to meet UK pest control laws the timber will need to be baked before it can be shipped to the UK.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Wood industry officials have warned that British families could face soaring prices for a range of wood-based products, including furniture, wood panels and even wallpaper because of its impact on low-grade timber and wood pulp prices.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s going to push timber prices through the roof,&amp;rdquo; said Gavin Adkins, chairman of the Wood Panel Industry Federation. He is concerned that large parts of the &amp;pound;1 billion industry that rely on wood as its main raw material will be forced offshore.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Although wood prices have moderated during the recession, rapid growth in demand had led to a 25 per cent rise since 2007, Mr Adkins said. &amp;ldquo;We operate in a low-margin industry and our ability to absorb such increases in raw material costs is limited. Inevitably these costs will have to be passed on to the consumer. Obviously, the timing could not be worse for the construction industry, which has been seriously hit in this recession.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;He said the number of jobs that may be lost was causing concerns for companies in the saw-milling, wood-panel and paper and pulp industries. The federation is lobbying for the biomass industry, which is supported by a government subsidy regime, to be given extra incentives to use waste wood instead of virgin timber for fuel. An estimated 4.5 million tonnes of waste wood are landfilled in the UK each year, according to government estimates.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;A recent report from the Environment Agency stated that shipping timber from overseas could halve the potential carbon dioxide savings from biomass power.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Natural fuel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1%&lt;/strong&gt; The amount of UK energy consumption from biomass&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;744 sq miles&lt;/strong&gt; The size of forest needed for UK wood-fuelled power station growth in next three years&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;50%&lt;/strong&gt; The rise in carbon discharges caused by long-distance transport and burning of wood over burning coal&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;30 years&lt;/strong&gt; The time new trees need to absorb the equivalent amount of carbon released by cutting down and burning wood for fuel&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sources: Times Database; Massachusetts Environmental Energy Alliance; Biofuelwatch.co.uk &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:52:37 GMT</pubDate>

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      <title>Britain cuts down forests to keep  green  power stations burning</title>

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&lt;p class="small color-666"&gt;Iconic species such as the English oak and the beech could be destroyed by higher temperatures in the South of England&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;The creation of new forests and woodlands across the country will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent and protect communities at risk of flooding, according to a scientific study for the &lt;a target="_blank" s_oc="null" _tesavedurl="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/" href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/"&gt;Forestry Commission&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Planting trees in 23,000 hectares a year for the next 40 years &amp;mdash; about the size of Queen&amp;rsquo;s Balmoral estate, or a town the size of Kettering, Northamptonshire &amp;mdash; would result in just an extra 4 per cent of land for trees, bringing a total of 16 per cent forest in Britain.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In flood plains and upland areas such as Cumbria, where extreme rainfall and flooding is already a reality, there is a need for new forestry to capture rainfall and lessen the flood risk. Trees in city and town centres would help to mitigate expected higher temperatures, while new woods along rivers will provide shade and help to protect aquatic eco-systems.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Professor Sir David Read, chairman of the study, told &lt;em&gt;The Times&lt;/em&gt; that one of the crucial findings of the report was the importance of woods in river catchment areas. &amp;ldquo;Trees intercept rainfall and retain water, and one of the problems we are seeing now in the Lake District is [that] there is nothing to stop the water running off the hills,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;We must look again at the contribution of forestry in the uplands and returning them in the direction they once were before we deforested them.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;The professor, one of Britain&amp;rsquo;s leading plant scientists, accepted that new forests would be controversial in some areas and that it was important for communities to have their say in how areas embrace the challenges of climate change. &amp;ldquo;What we need is an integrated examination of land use across the UK so that a consensus can be reached on how we tackle our changed circumstances,&amp;rdquo; he said.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In order to achieve this sylvan future, however, the professor said that Britain must accept the introduction of non-native species to replace native trees. Iconic species such as the English oak and the beech could be destroyed by higher temperatures in the South of England and the Sitka spruce, the most commercial tree in Britain, is likely to be confined to the North and North West.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;He said: &amp;ldquo;We have to think now what is going to replace them. It is possible that Pyrenean, downy or white oak will do better in future conditions, but we urgently need the trials now to test these species. We have got to find out now which species will be best for the environment. We can&amp;rsquo;t wait until 2050. We can&amp;rsquo;t be squeamish, as we have been in the past, about replacing native species with non-native species, though of course there would need to be proper safeguards and we would have to assess the potential for invasiveness.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;He suggested that the Sitka spruce grown in Britain, predominantly in Scotland, were from seeds from British Columbia, but that it would be prudent now to try strains that currently grow in the warmer climate of southern Oregon. His scenario envisages many new woodlands for the South of England that would not only capture carbon emissions but that would also be used as an energy crop to reduce the use of fossil fuels.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;These woods would comprise willow and poplar, and more mixed deciduous forests of sycamore, ash and birch. The Scottish landscape would continue to be dominated by conifers, he suggested, while in Wales there would be a mixture of new broadleaf and conifer plantations.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Future rainfall patterns forecast most extreme weather on the west coast of Scotland, in the North West of England and the west coast of Wales, and therefore he believed that these areas should be considered a priority for new forests.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The assessment, thought to be the first national study of this kind in the world, is intended to trigger a new debate between the Government and landowners over future land use.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Professor Read said: &amp;ldquo;By increasing our tree cover we can lock up carbon directly. By using more wood for fuel and construction materials we can make savings by using less gas, oil and coal, and by substituting sustainably produced timber for less climate-friendly materials.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;While so many emission-reduction measures have negative connotations, tree planting can be a win, win, win solution: people love trees, we benefit from them in so many different ways, and now we know they could play a significant part in reducing the UK&amp;rsquo;s CO2 emissions.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, said that the Government intended to work with communities and businesses to ensure that sufficient trees were planted to tackle climate change. He pledged to do more to increase forestry. &amp;ldquo;Forests and trees are an important part of the way we live and interact with our surroundings, and we cannot underestimate the role that trees will play in reducing our carbon emissions,&amp;rdquo; he said.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Many traditional forests have been restored. A century ago there was just over 5 per cent woodland, while today it is 12 per cent. Estimates for the maximum cover since the last Ice Age suggest Britain was once 80 per cent forest&lt;/p&gt;

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      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:47:00 GMT</pubDate>

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      <title>Plant forests across Britain to beat climate change, say scientists</title>

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