Timber!

Residents of Colaton Raleigh, East Devon were horrified, on waking up to find that 100 ancient Beech trees, in a protected area of their village, had been felled. A local landowner had made an application to the Forestry Commission, a branch of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to carry out the dirty deed. These 200 year-old trees were undiseased and none of the locals had been consulted or informed about the plan (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/21/colaton-raleigh-devon-village-shock-felling-100-ancient-beech-trees). This arbicide (tree killing) happens all too frequently in this country. DEFRA repeatedly fails in its duty to protect the environment. Not telling anyone suits them and the landowner very well. It gives folk no opportunity to object to an act of vandalism. Climate change means we should be planting more trees, rather than axing them.