Protests after ancient oaks felled
THE European Commission has been asked to investigate the destruction of an oak forest in Co. Cork.
Tree felling at the Silvergrove area of the Toon Valley has been halted pending investigations by the Department of Agriculture after the centuries-old forest was completely destroyed in some areas, leading to local protests.
Now Sinn Féin MEP Liadh Ní Riada has written to the Commission to ask if the tree felling by landowners James and Lorraine Costello, with their adviser Ecoplan Forestry, has breached the EU Habitats Directive.
‘It is crucially important that we protect our natural heritage, such as our ancient oak forests,’ Ms Ní Riada said.
‘Some of these trees are hundreds of years old while the forests themselves go back millennia. Once they are gone, they are gone forever,’ she said.
However, Seán McGinnis of Ecoplan Forestry rejected Ms Ní Riada’s claims that there was a dispute between landowners and environmentalists.
Instead, Mr McGinnis claimed that ‘misinformed’ protesters were in dispute with the Forest Service. ‘We all agree on the importance of preserving our natural heritage, that’s why the small number of oak trees at Silvergrove were preserved wherever possible,’ he said.
Mr McGinnis said that the area was not an area of conservation, heritage or a protected site.
He said responsibility for the development of forestry lay with the Forest Service, which had granted permission after a review.