Abstract
DURING the past few months, a number of letters and articles have appeared in the Press and in journals regarding the damaging effects of afforestation on the landscape of Britain. In some cases, the Forestry Commissioners have, rightly or wrongly, come in for adverse criticism on the ground of having desecrated some of England's beauty spots, notably in the Lake District, by planting serried ranks of conifers. We may assume that even the Forestry Commissioners have souls, and that they are not wholly devoid of the aesthetic sense; but they have a duty to perform to the nation, that of providing an adequate reserve of standing timber, and however great may be their desire to avoid any action which might seriously affect the beauty of the countryside, they cannot be expected to be entirely impartial judges in matters affecting their programme of work. Here there is more than one interest involved, and in cases where interests conflict, the wise thing is for the parties concerned to meet and come to a friendly agreement. We therefore welcome the announcement that the Forestry Commissioners and the Council for the Preservation of Rural England have set up a joint informal committee, which will meet from time to time and endeavour to come to an agreement in cases where their respective interests are likely to clash. It is hoped that this will be the means of maintaining the beauty of the country without seriously affecting the important work being carried out by the Forestry Commission.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Afforestation and Scenery in Great Britain. Nature 135, 866 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135866a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135866a0