I WRITE to voice dismay at the letter (Forester July 14) from Pippa Clark of the Woodland Trust indicating 'me-too-ism' on the HOOF campaign to keep the Forest of Dean locked up inside the Forestry Commission.

I think it's a great pity that the characteristic of so many organisations is to follow the Hoof-prints of the herd, no matter how ignorant a mob that is.

I joined the Woodland Trust in the Seventies to give my support to their 'breath of fresh air' sweeping through our woodlands. Many times they have taken on plantation-wastelands blitzed by the Forestry Commission and given us back native woodlands and the consequent wildlife that goes with them.

A large recent effort is that of the Wentwood Forest, where a spindly ash tree here and there was all that remained of this wonderful ancient woodland. I would love to see the Forest of Dean revived similarly, maybe using a zoned system for the National Trust, RSPB as well as the Woodland Trust.

The first essential requirement is to sweep away the Forestry Commission, which is just the same old nationalised (ie union-ised) set-up whose priorities start and end with wasting as much money and labour as possible in following an outdated doctrine, obeying the standard law that the public are the enemy and must never be taken into account!

I can see that many charities concerned with ingratiating themselves with the public's wishes (including Bishops, politicians and campaigners) are trying to satisfy the insatiable demands of the public in full cry, just as News of the World journalists were hopelessly tempted to do. They should take note of the recent disintegration of this immoral routine. It is bound to fail! IF-AND-WHEN. Independent forests. A natural Dean which has ended nationalisation!

John Simmons

Coleford