Hands Off Hartlebury Common

more facts on common nature issues

#722: - Re: Re:

Measuring a tree that has already been cut makes your approved method invalid. I was already aware of this method My measurement might be innacurate up to a point but a I think an ordainary person can understand what I am trying to say here, roughly 150 years old.

I think you can see the ball park figures though, even if you were to deduct 50 years, the trees are still to old to be cut. According to Francis flanagan in my transcribed interview with him he states that no trees over 30 years of age will be cut. this simply is not true. Trees well over this age are the predominant trees being felled. Memebers of the public comment on this issue quite routineley and it is this sort of ambiguous behaviour which alarms not just me.

Aging trees from there physical dimensions is an accepted practice, your instruction for aging is just the first part.

1 Measure  the circumference

2 devide by 3.14

3 multiply by the growth factor 5.0

4 The answer I have conservativeley is 118 years old

Regarding post 718, my point was  that both habitats are prone to climate change in their own ways. The peaty, boggy areas, adjacent to  worcester road benefit from water entrapment as moisture remains caught in the sub strata around it. These areas are fed from moisture travelling  through permiable sands that then encounter less permiable bed rock stratification, which delivers water, which in turn keeps these places moist and viable.

The common is being de-wooded which will result in a  drier enviroment as moisture evaporates. Global climate change impacts supports this notion. No matter how much rain there is now, because of the nature of our stormburst, intense heat, wind cycle which are now a feature of our climate and indeed this summer there is widespread drought. It will be more prone to fires the same as the widespread fires that have occured throughout this year so far. They have all started on heath, or converted land.

There is already plenty of habitat on the common for these species already. Sand wasps are abundant on the pathways just as much as in the wilderness areas.  Ironically, one particular area of the common had an abundance of common lizards until it was subject to "Improvement" The lizards are not there anymore, it is now an area of diturbed habitat.

Why is your justification for tree removal based on what is happening in Scotland? I was answereing a question which suggested that tree felling was a neutural carbon enterprise, I was pointing out that it is not, if you read what I said. I  made the point about Co2 because it is true and in a nother time and place you might be telling me so. What is happening in Scotland has got nothing to do with this discussion.

I quote Worcetershire county Council, "The common was cleared of woodland 4000 years ago for agriculture, unfortunatley, the common was unsuitable and so became a wilderness" What did these people use , chainsaws? Were they really that stupid. This is pureley conjecture. The gullies could be grazed by mountain sheep yes, but its cattle that are being introduced. This is accepted thinking, not feral goats or sheep. They have never been mentioned before by anyone.Do you have anything to say about the contradiction of free grazing given the potential loss of valuable plants and species.

Why would anyone what to clear out  difficult areas such as in these gullies flys in the face of logic  current evidence and history of prehistoric settlers and their recources. For you to say the damage is not as "Bad as you say", is really niether one thing or another. The situation is worsening daily and if I caused similar damage in my sphere of expertise I would be sacked or issued a summons.

The RSPB advise that work on trees, shrubs and hedges should be limited during the period mid March to
early August, while removing a hedge entirely should be avoided completely. Also, if you look here

http://www.devon.gov.uk/woodlands.pdf

there is reference to TPO's and there speacial protection as both the largest oak trees were definatley subject to elevated protection. Where has it gone, evaporated?

As always, it would be a pleasure to meet you at the  common and to take a walk around together.

Steve McCarron

trees being ellegaly cut down

Not a very accurate chart I know but it is mirrored by other similar informations for a guestimate

An yes, I know it is an american table but netherless, 150 years for a 22 inch diameter tree would be about right

718 is relevant because climate change does not just effect upland ares but lowland as well.

If you would like to meet me I can show you many areas that are sucumbing to this  phenomena on the common. The proposed changes, plus grazing, plus, root reductions in the strata will exacerpate the problem.

At the upper terrace adjacent to the pine plantation (south) there is significant moisture here. This at the  the highest and most exposed point of the common. This is  indicated by the permanently sodden floor moss. This will be lost as soon as the trees are taken down and as the moisture levels drop.

Broad leaf oak canopy and our indiginous birches both assist in the retention of cooler, moister enviroments at ground level. You only have to walk around the common to see where the lushest and greenest grasses exist at the moment.

Deforestation is one of the most damaging things that can be done to an enviroment. Normally the felling of trees is offset by there planting elsewhere. Whilst a felled tree lying on the ground holds its carbon, the manpower, management and fuels, plant, transport cannott be called carbon neutral and act as a deficit.

Add to this that trees consume co2 and generate oxygen makes the validity for their cutting less credible.

The common has had more plant, machinery, work, manpower, recources, expended on it in the last two years than it has in the past one hundred. All this to create an unsustainable enviroment. Is this a green policy?

I notice the tree felling to the east of the pine plantations, in the gulleys headind towards the worcester road.

Were these cleared by our ancestors for agricultural means also. I think they are a bit to steep for man or beast.

In these areas, the protective layer of humus rich soil is know being washed away. More and more of the fresh red sand underneath is begining to show. This in turn is being eroded.

This oak is over a metre accross, not only was it cut down a week ago in the middle of the breeding season for birds but was uneccesarily cut to the floor. The cutting was subject to maintaince by a utility company but the tree should have enjoyed some protections. The felling is counter to guidlines used by E-on and central networks. There is another felled tree adjacent to this one.

I have answered you in turn, could you do me the courtesy of doing the same

Steve McCarron

court again

Elusive claim to title

Once again, Worcestershire County Council failed to provide conclusive proper title, if there is such a thing for Hartlebury Common.

You know, that thing you keep in a safe, or in a box under the stairs, the deeds to your house. Everybody knows where theirs is if you have a purchased property. Not WCC

The judge, if you can call him that, chose to ignore this small ommission from process, which he felt was acceptable.

In a higher court, this would not be the same case.

We would have "Lost" if WCC could have shown good title and therfore the costs and fees might have been relevant. As it is we have already told the judge and the council, we do not have the slightest intention of paying these.

Do you really think that subsequent to such incompatence, we would regard ourselves as losers and the council winners?

We have only just begun and for us, yesterday was a victory.

On the 22nd of June we went to county hall and asked fiona morgan, legal representative, if we could see the title deeds. No she said, you are not entitled to see them. Wrong.
We told her this and then she said they were not at county hall. Wrong.
She then tried to claim that they were kept at the land registry. Wrong.
Three times she claimed she new exactly where they where. At the land registry. Wrong, if they had them, they would be at county hall.

In court, after all this time, they could still not produce the elusive paperwork, even though Fiona Morgan new exactly where they were.

The paperwork shown to the judge did not show title but when presented to him by WCC, he simply acceded that title had been shown when in fact it had not. The same paperwork, was in our possession, prior to us seeing Ms Morgan. We had discounted it and it was NOT regarded as good title, which is why we were making our visit to county hall. So, what paperwork was she referring to?

He acceded to WCC because they told him that they were legal documents and in his words "I am not qualified to make these decisions" on these matters.

I still get crank messages but, I say again that this is simply not reflected by the feedback of people helping us who live locally and all the people we talk to.

We knew that the court appearence would be unusual and to think that we would have resolution this early on might have been welcome but unlikeley.

We knew before hand what the outcome would be.

Our campaign goes on, not because we lost, or won. It is because we are right and when you see something in life which is wrong it is easy to walk on, not put yourself at risk, to be the subject of ridicule. It is not the brash, or loud, or voiciferous that drive us but the quietley spoken words of ordainary people who feel bullied and threatened by the people who are supposed to represent them.

We have notified the police that we intend to continue to take the illegal enclosure down. This will commence shortly.

Steve McCarron

group meetings

We will be meeting at the main entrance today 2 July  (Hartlebury road) at 2.45- 3.00 pm

Our legal representative will be with us to answer any questions you might have regarding wildlife, law etc.

We could not inform people before as this is just a visit for Tony to see the common for himself first hand and we had little notice.

Steve McCarron

Pictures of hartlebury common.

To anyone interested I have a page of pics and text which is of interest to anyone who objects to the inept conversion of our public space.

http://s1179.photobucket.com/albums/x395/stevemac2/

Comments page, signatures

All it takes is one or two idiots to spoil a public meeting.

Allit takes is one or two idiots to wreck a comments page with pointless, inane and deliberatley provocative comments.

So I apologise for the content but it does make amusing reading netherless.

We are conyinuing to amass signatures in ever increasing amounts and are pleased that hartlebury and stourport traders are collecting signatures also.

We hope to collect 1000 signatures against the coiuncils proposals, which is more than the 60 that attended the inquiry, the 40 that voted, the 26 who thought that the changes were a good idea.

At the time of the vote, most objectors had left the meeting or had given up. The protagonists stayed on and got the landslide.

more meetings

group meetings

For this site and petition to really achieve anything, we need to coordinate our efforts, It's not enough now for people to stand back from involvement. Together we are stronger than individuals. Contact me,

Thanks, Steve.

meetings

I desperatley want anyone who can to get in touch with me

01299251497

steve@stevemccarron.co.uk

assistance needed

Can Mike, or any body who knows Mike get him to contact me

Tel 01299 251 497 steve@stevemccarron.co.uk

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