Nikki Williams, Woodland Trust Head of Campaigning said: "The way the Government has dealt with its proposal for High Speed Two is extremely disappointing. The consultation lacked sufficient information to make it a credible process. Even now, the environmental impacts of the proposed route have not been properly assessed and there are no plans to assess them until late 2012.The lack of information on alternative routes has made it impossible to establish whether the route chosen was due to anything other than reducing costs and increasing speed.

" Any government agreeing to the destruction of ancient woodland is wholly mistaken when referring to itself as the 'greenest government ever'. Regardless of any mitigation strategy put forward by Government on HS2, no compensation can exist for this loss."

Climate change represents the greatest threat to our woodland heritage and the Woodland Trust strongly supports moves towards green transport. However, it must be efficient, of benefit to the majority and should not sacrifice the environment’s rarest habitats. Ancient woodland is the UK's equivalent of the rainforest and is literally irreplaceable. It is our richest wildlife habitat and even slicing a small corner off one wood impacts the wildlife in the rest of it. Noise and vibration associated with high speed rail has also been consistently shown in studies to have a huge negative impact on wildlife.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

High Speed Two
The current proposed route from London to Birmingham would cause the loss to a minimum of 21 ancient woodlands and a further 27 ancient woods are also likely to suffer loss or significant damage.

Last month's publication by the Transport Select committee recommended that the revised business plan for High Speed Two should take account of the Government’s new approach to economic appraisal, which places a monetary value on natural capital. It also encouraged the Government to 'place greater emphasis on following existing transport corridors'. Both of these are areas the Trust would like to see further developed.

Ancient woodland:
Ancient Woodland is land that has been continuously wooded since 1600. The unique undisturbed soils and ecosystems found in these sites form the UK’s richest land habitat. This habitat provides a home to a host of rare, protected and threatened wildlife - species that are slow to react to change, find it difficult to adapt, and are not mobile enough to move to other locations to survive. It supports some 232 species outlined in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, 1994. It is the UK's equivalent of the rainforest and, once destroyed, can never be replaced. Ancient woodland now accounts for just 2.4% of our land area, a loss fuelled by the fashion for planting fast growing conifers in an industrial age.

Right lines Charter
The Woodland Trust is a signatory of the Right Lines Charter which states: 'High Speed Rail proposals need to be designed from the start to avoid significant adverse impacts on the natural environment… (including biodiversity, landscape, tranquility and access) during construction and operation.'