High speed rail link will help the environment

I was impressed to read in the Letters page of 1 August by David Briggs “National Forest is worth visiting.”

Trees provide a valuable resource for the supply of wood, oxygen and the absorption of carbon dioxide, one of the green house gases retaining the heat in the atmosphere contributing to continued global warming likely to result in an increase of wild fires, floods and intense gales during future years. However to argue against the proposed high speed two rail link through the National Forest when there is an existing rail link as written in the final paragraph may be a contradiction.

High speed rail is in England with the Channel Tunnel High Speed One rail link to Calais in France. HS1 has been extended to a rail freight terminal in Barking, Essex to provide rail freight transport between Barking and Calais within one and a quarter hours. If HS1 were to be extended from Barking to the proposed rail freight terminal in Burbage then high speed freight trains may be able to travel between Burbage and Calais in two hours bypassing London and perhaps reducing road freight and pollution.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced in May a review of the Governments natural landscapes. To consider whether to expand England’s network of parks as well as areas of outstanding natural beauty.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy is designed to create a network of forest conservation initiatives throughout the 53 nations of the Commonwealth.

I enjoy a walk through the Hollycroft Park in Hinckley with fabulous trees. Alan Cantrill