Bellamy was our jolly green giant
I HAD the privilege of meeting David Bellamy at a conference in the Nineties, where we discussed the role of forestry in combating the rise of CO2. I found him to be a genuine, sincere conservationist, a man of high integrity. At that time he was not convinced that the expansion of commercial upland coniferous forestry was a good thing. However, after demonstrating to him its advantages for uplands, he realised its importance for the capture of CO2 and became a supporter of an expansionist policy of commercial forestry. Unlike the modern trend of planting native trees, which do not produce economic timber, he realised that for forestry to contribute to the environment and to have a significant effect in tying up carbon, it had to be economically viable. Sustainable coniferous timber, which is in demand in the UK, produces a viable return for the forest owner. Native oak will not grow well in our uplands and takes hundreds of years to mature. I was upset when David was vilified for his views on global warming. He was often misquoted. A giant of a man and a real conservationist.
ALAN MASSEY, Brampton, Cumbria. THE recent death of the great conservationist David Bellamy reminded me of the time I met him in the early Nineties. At the back of our old home in St Albans, we overlooked a former watercress area with a small lake fed by springs. There were several allotments, but a large part of the area was neglected and fly-tipping was endemic. The town council decided to eject the allotment holders and ‘do something with the area’. Naturally, local residents and allotment holders were dismayed and an association was formed. It was eventually agreed that if the neglected land could be cleaned up, it would be turned into a conservation area on a peppercorn rent. Tons of rubbish were removed and once it was neat and tidy, the association endeavoured to find a well-known personality to officially open the area. The first person approached wanted a hefty fee, but David Bellamy requested only his train fare. He did the honours of opening the conservation area and regaled us with stories of how in his younger days he’d loved St Albans. A lovely man, indeed.
JOHN WATCH, Bournemouth, Dorset.