Determined tree hugger saves large oak from being felled in Burley

A DETERMINED tree hugger says she has saved a large oak from being felled in Burley after her and a group of neighbours formed a human chain around it while it was being cut down.

Sue Crooks organised a get-together of like-minded people to foil tree surgeons who turned up to Pound Lane this morning (Monday).

She said: “It seems like a perfectly good tree to me; it doesn’t seem diseased at all. We’ve had no notification from anyone that this was going to happen.

“It was a shock when we heard the saws going, so we went down there and protested around the tree.

“The workers said, ‘What are you doing?’ and I told them ‘Protecting my tree!’.”

Sue said she and her neighbours protested for about 90 minutes, during which she spoke to a representative from Forestry England who was at the scene.

She said the FE representative told her he was authorising for around a third of the tree to be left instead of the oak being completely felled.

She said: “I asked him why it could not be just topped out, but he said he had a report which said it was diseased and was dangerous.

“But when the branches came off from, I could see none of them were dead or diseased.

“It’s a small victory but at least we have saved it for now. I think there is too much of this chopping down trees going on in the area.

“My husband and I moved here because we loved the woods. It's so sad to see what seems perfectly fine trees being cut down.

“The amount of CO2 released when you fell a tree is huge, it is not something we should be doing while we are trying to protect the environment."

Sue added: “Trees are vitally important for the eco system and I appreciate diseased trees do have to be felled.

“But it seems to be done too easily. When I wanted to have a tree topped in my garden, I had to apply for planning approval.”

The A&T has approached Forestry England for comment.