Illegal tree felling is being investigated after trees up to 200 years old were cut down in Blackwood.
Officers from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) are investigating the “serious” case after around 200 hedgerow beech trees were recently discovered near Blackwood – believed to be around Pen y Fan pond.
Felling a quantity of trees that large requires a licence, but NRW claimed that there was no record of one being sanctioned.
Jim Hepburn, Regulatory Woodland Officer at Natural Resources Wales said: “This is a devastating case which will have a terrible impact on the local environment and no doubt be very upsetting for local people.
“These trees would have been around 150 – 200 years old and would have provided valuable habitat for wildlife.
“We continue to investigate how this felling has happening, and will take the necessary action against those responsible.”
On its website, the environmental agency states that the felling of trees without licence can lead to fines of up to £2,500 or twice the value of the trees – whichever is the greater amount.
NRW can also serve a restocking notice to a land owner or tenant convicted of illegal felling to ensure that the land in question is replaced with trees, which must be maintained to acceptable standards for up to ten years.
Looks like they’ve been cut down for a reason, probably to make way for a building project of some sort, somebody somewhere either knew about it or gave permission for it to go ahead or on the other hand sometimes it’s quicker and cheaper to simply cut them down and face the consequences than to go through a long drawn out process of getting the correct permissions – either way it’s not a random act of lumber jacking, it’s been done for a reason.
Absolutely correct, as the penalties for felling trees are small it makes it worthwhile for unscrupulous people to simply cut them down. I entered a Freedom of Information request two weeks ago regarding whom is responsible for the felling of mature trees in the David Williams Park, which surrounds Caerffili Castle. The felling operation had been stopped when a vigilant member of the public contacted the police.
Once I receive the answers to this FOI I will inform people here, if the Observer wants to run the story.