NR hits back at Guardian article on tree felling
Network Rail has criticised an article published on The Guardian website on April 29, which claimed “millions of trees at risk in secretive Network Rail felling programme”.
The article claimed NR used drones and that “thousands” of trees “have already been chopped down across the country from Yorkshire to Dorset”.
It also claimed engineers were working on a targeted felling programme, and included a quote from an eyewitness. Green Party leader Caroline Lucas was also quoted in the article, criticising Network Rail.
Finally, it said NR “refused to provide The Guardian with its database of trees or reveal how many of the ten million trees identified alongside the tracks have been earmarked for cutting”.
NR Chairman Sir Peter Hendy CBE took to Twitter, with a link to the piece, saying: “This is drivel. Our vegetation programme reduces the danger of reduced signal sighting for drivers, and leaf fall, leading to trains sliding past signals, as well as reduced adhesion leading to late trains. And it’s not secretive at all; see our website. Crap journalism.”
In a statement, NR told RAIL: “Network Rail is a big, responsible, public company that takes its environmental obligations seriously. We manage our lineside to provide healthy biodiversity advised by experts in the field. We do remove trees that are or could be dangerous, or have an impact on the reliability of services that serve over 4.5 million people every day.
“We make our policies in this area public, in an open and transparent way, and work with environmental organisations to help us get it right when we do have to take action.”
NR wrote to The Guardian explaining its policy, highlighting where information is available.