SIR, — I m delighted to hear that The Woodland Trust is seeking to buy an 800-acre site near St Albans to grow the largest continuous native forest in England (Herts Advertiser, July 31). This will involve the planting of 600,000 trees such as oak, ash a

SIR, - I'm delighted to hear that The Woodland Trust is seeking to buy an 800-acre site near St Albans to grow the largest continuous native forest in England (Herts Advertiser, July 31).

This will involve the planting of 600,000 trees such as oak, ash and field maple. Such positive action is in stark contrast with those of the inappropriately named Countryside Management Services that seem hellbent on removing as many native tree species as they can get away with on areas such as Nomansland, Wheathampstead, which is just over the stock-fencing from this prospective new forest. At a time when our local Green Belt is likely to be concreted over to make way for hundreds of thousands of new houses, at least this is one initiative that offers a ray of hope.

JOHN THOMPSON,

Handside Lane, Welwyn Garden City.