BBC article: National Trust to plant blossom trees around UK

[Danllan]

This sounds like a huge campaign of action, on a national scale, seeing vast numbers of trees planted, forests even. Yet the first line of this BBC article reads 'The National Trust is planning to plant dozens of blossoming trees, including cherry, hazel* and plum, at different sites around the UK. '

Dozens! I planted more than that in the last hedge I restored! If ever we needed evidence that the BBC is in cahoots with the NT, this is it. Why not claim a new ecosystem after a window-box is established on one of their urban properties?

National Trust to plant blossom trees around UK - BBC News



*And, anyway, who the hell thinks hazels blossom?

 

[upnortheast]

Yet the BBC would never think about running a headline " Farmer B has planted 5500 trees this winter" & there are hundreds of Farmer B across the country
Which makes the NT`s efforts look insignificant

 

[Danllan]

Yet the BBC would never think about running a headline " Farmer B has planted 5500 trees this winter" & there are hundreds of Farmer B across the country
Which makes the NT`s efforts look insignificant

My point exactly; wouldn't it be great if we had a national organisation of some sort that could immediately take up this story and promote farming as doing far more re-foresting than the NT?

 

[JP1]

It's a Newsround article for kids and I think it's a super idea

National Trust to plant blossom trees around UK

The National Trust is planning to plant dozens of blossoming trees at different sites around the UK.

www.bbc.co.uk

Some are planned as clumps of 33 trees

I'd support anything that gets all kids closer to nature - what's not to like ?

 

[JP1]

The Japanese celebrate Hanami

Cherry blossom: Japanese festival hit by Covid restrictions

Celebrations will be much smaller this year because of coronavirus restrictions but why is cherry blossom such an important part of Japanese culture?

www.bbc.co.uk

I do find it interesting that it's the National Trust that is creating the initiative

 

[Danllan]

It's a Newsround article for kids and I think it's a super idea

National Trust to plant blossom trees around UK

The National Trust is planning to plant dozens of blossoming trees at different sites around the UK.

www.bbc.co.uk

Some are planned as clumps of 33 trees

I'd support anything that gets all kids closer to nature - what's not to like ?

You're missing the point JP. Nobody is going to argue that planting such trees - even in tiny numbers - is a bad thing; the point is that the BBC are playing this rather minimal effort up, yet ignoring that a single farmer will do more, and the 'NFU' are letting them get away with it.

As for hanami, it speaks to the less brutal side of Japanese national culture and history. The article you link to glosses over the history of it somewhat. It has been a thing of celebration for many, many hundreds of years, but only recently have there been cherry plantings on a large scale (all of one type of cherry, which is causing problems). Before, it was a solely natural phenomenon; Japan is 80% forested mountain, and has far more wild areas than most might think.

 

[JP1]

You're missing the point JP. Nobody is going to argue that planting such trees - even in tiny numbers - is a bad thing; the point is that the BBC are playing this rather minimal effort up, yet ignoring that a single farmer will do more, and the 'NFU' are letting them get away with it.

As for hanami, it speaks to the less brutal side of Japanese national culture and history. The article you link to glosses over the history of it somewhat. It has been a thing of celebration for many, many hundreds of years, but only recently have there been cherry plantings on a large scale (all of one type of cherry, which is causing problems). Before, it was a solely natural phenomenon; Japan is 80% forested mountain, and has far more wild areas than most might think.

Why does every farmer want a thank you? I plant plenty of trees and hedges and I get no grant at all.

The National Trust initiative is about smaller clumps of blossoming trees. Nothing sinister. It's a UK initiative taking a positive thing from a Japanese custom

That's it

No more to it than that

You chose to comment and draw parallels to something the NT initiative isn't

Personally I don't see it's a particularly wise move pointing out how much grant is paid out for tree and hedge planting - might come back to bite folks if they see public monies mean they "own" you

 

[Bury the Trash]

Why does every farmer want a thank you? I plant plenty of trees and hedges and I get no grant at all.

The National Trust initiative is about smaller clumps of blossoming trees. Nothing sinister. It's a UK initiative taking a positive thing from a Japanese custom

That's it

No more to it than that

You chose to comment and draw parallels to something the NT initiative isn't

Personally I don't see it's a particularly wise move pointing out how much grant is paid out for tree and hedge planting - might come back to bite folks if they see public monies mean they "own" you

theres plenty of (or there has been) 'ordinary' Single farm payment money or what ever its called at times, money given out, poor job if a bit of that couldn't have been or be spent on a tree or 2.

 

[Danllan]

Why does every farmer want a thank you? I plant plenty of trees and hedges and I get no grant at all.

The National Trust initiative is about smaller clumps of blossoming trees. Nothing sinister. It's a UK initiative taking a positive thing from a Japanese custom

That's it

No more to it than that

You chose to comment and draw parallels to something the NT initiative isn't

Personally I don't see it's a particularly wise move pointing out how much grant is paid out for tree and hedge planting - might come back to bite folks if they see public monies mean they "own" you

No subsidy here either. There is a difference between a 'thank you' and mere recognition; and there is a real problem in the MSM with farmers being portrayed as baddies, why tolerate such bias and why miss an opportunity for some good press?

 

[JP1]

No subsidy here either. There is a difference between a 'thank you' and mere recognition; and there is a real problem in the MSM with farmers being portrayed as baddies, why tolerate such bias and why miss an opportunity for some good press?

The article hasn't got anything to do with farmers as far as I can see. I never noticed you praising the work of metropolitan Boroughs and park keepers either

You so like to bang on about moderation on here, maybe someone should report the thread and suggest it gets moved to Off Topic as it's got nowt to do with Agricultural Matters from what I can see ...................

 

[renewablejohn]

theres plenty of (or there has been) 'ordinary' Single farm payment money or what ever its called at times, money given out, poor job if a bit of that couldn't have been or be spent on a tree or 2.

Theres plenty of farmers conned into the woodland grant scheme only to find payments stopped as the forestry commission change the rules to comply with there own agenda.

 

[Danllan]

The article hasn't got anything to do with farmers as far as I can see. I never noticed you praising the work of metropolitan Boroughs and park keepers either

You so like to bang on about moderation on here, maybe someone should report the thread and suggest it gets moved to Off Topic as it's got nowt to do with Agricultural Matters from what I can see ...................

It is often difficult to locate where the line between obtuseness and plain stupidity lies...

The BBC - our national broadcaster - regularly publishes articles decrying farmers and agriculture and yet plays up organisations such as the NT; this is another case in point. Were it to choose to - and it beggars belief to suggest that they don't know it - the BBC could have published a page, or even a single sentence, emphasising that what the NT are doing nationally is and has been done repeatedly by huge numbers of individual farmers up and down the country. They choose not to, and we have no national farming organisation who will stand up and challenge this situation.

If you really can't see the agricultural relevance of UK AG' getting a good or at least fair press, well then fair enough. But I don't think you miss that, and are just arguing for the sake of it.

Counterproductive, boring and daft.

 

[Sid]

And the NT are getting lottery funding, its not even their own money!

 

[GeorgeK]

Bit on BBC news yesterday about paths through NT land getting too wide and causing damage. No mention of the vastly greater numbers of footpaths through farmland that are suffering. I do feel the NT press department has the ear of the BBC

 

[JP1]

Bit on BBC news yesterday about paths through NT land getting too wide and causing damage. No mention of the vastly greater numbers of footpaths through farmland that are suffering. I do feel the NT press department has the ear of the BBC

Maybe the farmer representative should network the same !

 

[Hindsight]

Why does every farmer want a thank you? I plant plenty of trees and hedges and I get no grant at all.

The National Trust initiative is about smaller clumps of blossoming trees. Nothing sinister. It's a UK initiative taking a positive thing from a Japanese custom

That's it

No more to it than that

You chose to comment and draw parallels to something the NT initiative isn't

Personally I don't see it's a particularly wise move pointing out how much grant is paid out for tree and hedge planting - might come back to bite folks if they see public monies mean they "own" you

In a week or two the BBC (usually that old tart Harrobin) will write an article in which the old chestnut will run '1000s miles of hedge pulled out by farmers'. I wrote to him a few years ago to pick him up as widespread hedge removal ended in 1984/5 - with the last of the FHDS grant schemes. Since then just the opposite as 1000's mile hedges planted. But no pretty much every six months the BBC (and other news output Guardian usually) run a hedge grubbing story. For once I am with Danllan - in this the BBC are making a sub liminal messaging.

 

[Classichay]

a close relation used to work for this bunch in this area, she says the amount of money they pee up the wall on pointless stuff is crazy, all fur coat no nickers nonsense. First cull of staff that went were the grounds keepers and arborists for the big estates to save the middle management jobs, cant see many of those sort wielding a chainsaw or looking after the assets.... paper pushing jobs for clueless tools.

 

[manhill]

They need to do a risk assessment. All those blossoms turning the roads into skating rinks then blocking the drains.
Can't have that!

 

[onesiedale]

As I see it, it's more a case of the NT PR/comms department doing their job properly and just following some pretty basic seasonal events (such as spring blossom) then supplying the media with nice consumer friendly press releases.
The message they really want to put out is not the blossoms or trees but the name - National Trust. Basic brand marketing, but nevertheless very professional.
Pretty basic stuff really that our national representative organisations could, and should, be doing

 

[Pigken]

It is often difficult to locate where the line between obtuseness and plain stupidity lies...

Have wondered this many times recently with your childish pathetic constant jibes or how ever you want to call them at @JP1 . Do not know either of you not really fussed but you seem to make a point of having a dig or cleverly word insult at him in any way you can. If you were in the playground I would surgest you need a good hard boot in your family assets and a wedgy for good measure. Am sure your come back will be interesting but jog on.