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This sort of thing is pretty annoying. HS2 Ltd and it’s forestry contractors can’t win. If they protect their trees with tubes to stop voles, shrews, hares and deer, eating them, they’re littering. If they don’t, the survival rate will be pathetic and they’ll be dragged. https://twitter.com/scientistsx/status/1360962211011846145
Not cutting anything down in the first place would be a lovely but for context: HS2 Ltd is planting 112ha (hectare) of new woodland, restoring 17ha of dying ancient woodland, and improves 12ha of other woodland. This is so much more than the 30ha it has to cut down. A hectare 
My bad, that 112ha number is out of date.
“More than 650 hectares of new woodland will be planted between London and Birmingham as part of the first phase of HS2, to help reduce the visual impact of the line and create valuable new wildlife habitats.” https://www.gov.uk/government/news/seven-million-trees-to-be-planted-as-part-of-hs2-first-phase
“More than 650 hectares of new woodland will be planted between London and Birmingham as part of the first phase of HS2, to help reduce the visual impact of the line and create valuable new wildlife habitats.” https://www.gov.uk/government/news/seven-million-trees-to-be-planted-as-part-of-hs2-first-phase
At this scale, a lot of things can be picked apart by armchair foresters just having a moan.
HS2 Ltd vows to plant 7,000,000 trees. A great survival rate, even with tubes, is 80%.
When 1,400,000 of the HS2 saplings die, we’re going to see a bloody uproar.
HS2 Ltd vows to plant 7,000,000 trees. A great survival rate, even with tubes, is 80%.
When 1,400,000 of the HS2 saplings die, we’re going to see a bloody uproar.
Another million or so will be cut down in a few years. Cannot wait for the outrage as the public learn about the concept of “thinning”, but that’s why they’re planted close together. Nature takes some, others are removed, so the remaining grow big and strong. https://twitter.com/timjreynolds/status/1361263386391171073
The more trees that establish and survive through their first few years without drought, pests, or wind mangling them, the more you need to thin. Of course that’s ideal, but if a bunch die that’s exactly why you planted close together, or “overstocked” in the first place.
Looking at some of their planting, it looks legit to me at least. 50,000 trees is a lot here but that establishes a canopy sooner. 6ha of wildflower meadows will help unfuck the bee apocalypse. So long as they collect & recycle the tubes in a few years this seems fine. https://twitter.com/hs2ltd/status/1359516498973319169
Have a read of this hyperbolic nonsense. Two farmers taking rough guesses at how many died in the hottest summer on record. You can’t water every single of the 300,000 planted, and what’s the alternative? Giant water tanker trucks? Think of the CO2! 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-48351611
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-48351611
The chap from #StopHS2 sound super objective when he says “This is an environmental disaster” but 6,500 / 300,000 is well within reasonable survival rates. 60,000 dying would still be ok, and they’ve said they’re replanting them. Saplings are raised and mulched by the million...
Seriously, one million oaks were destined for a wood chipper because COVID-19 was stopping so many reforestation projects from happening. I managed to save 110 of them, and I’ve gotta go check up on them soon, but THAT was a disaster. Not a drought taking a few thousand.
This thread was just about forestry, but for more on the environmental credentials of HS2 please read this write up. It’s a huge net win for a country addicted to flying and driving and all anger/concern for HS2 should be directed to RIS2 instead. https://garethdennis.medium.com/a-remarkable-achievement-the-environmental-case-for-building-hs2-fc22ff83b024
Of you care about reforestation my charity @GrowingTheTrees is working to make the ancient forests of the future. Right now we’re trying to buy 80ha of land to reforest in South Wales. This is twice what HS2 cuts down and you can come dig, camp, and water. http://www.protect.earth/donate
