A little while ago, I filled you in about England wanting to sell off their forests as part of a budget-cut. I’ve already got some amazing news for you: they dropped their plans! The efforts of the organization 38 Degrees along with many others showed the government that people were not happy with what they were doing and they’ve decided to no longer sell off the forests. According to The Guardian:

The prime minister, who told MPs that he was not happy with the government’s handling of the issue, has ordered [Caroline Spelman, the environment secretary] to:

• End the consultation on plans to dispose of about half of the 258,000 hectares of woodland in England run by the Forestry Commission by 2020.

• Establish an independent panel with environmentalists to reach consensus on reforms to improve access and biodiversity in forests.

• Drop clauses in the public bodies bill that would allow the government to sell off all of England’s forests. Under current laws only 15% of forests can be sold.

I’m beyond happy about this news! Thank you to everyone who signed the petition!

(Original image from 38Degrees.org.uk)