If you go down to the woods today...

...you might find a very large FOR SALE sign.

Not having found enough change down the back of the Benefits sofa, the government are now attempting to sell of assets to get a bit of cash together to help stick a finger in the dam of the declining economy. The latest measure is to sell off forestry currently under government control, a tactic that has shown the divide in green and environmentalist groups. To read the proposals and find out more about the consultation, I recommend the DEFRA website.

In the red corner, there are those who decry this as privatisation through the back door, stealth tax-relief for Cameron's toff big business chums, a blow to the freedom of access to the nation's forestry. This corner has a (probably entirely justified) distrust for the government, and dismisses clauses such as protected access rights as just another easily broken promise. If you find yourself in this camp, I recommend signing the petition at 38 Degrees to stop the proposals.

In the blue corner, there are those that welcome the decentralisation of control, and are optimistic for the proposals for community and charity groups to run ancient and heritage woodlands. This corner cautiously believes in the proposals. If you find yourself in this camp, or want to learn more about the benefits, try this Guardian crowd-sourced piece about the potential benefits of the changes.

Where do I stand? Well, forgive this blogger for being on the fence until more concrete results are seen from the proposals. I try to be optimistic, as I believe that community groups are probably the best way for our ancient woodlands to be kept, groups who have direct and passionate connections to the woods in question. I also understand the need for a more commercial form of management for our large swathes of post-war softwood plantations that could benefit from targeted business ownership. What I'm not so positive about is the spectre of small local groups being unable to meet the costs of purchase for woodlands and them passing by default to commercial interests, which have the potential for mismanagement and restricting access with the impunity of large corporations confident in their legal representation.

This old tree hugger will be watching the case with interest.