Upset after "irreplaceable" trees felled in Coventry wood

[dutchman]

Locals say they don't want the management - but a charity says it's in the wood's best interests



A Coventry resident has spoken of her "disbelief" at discovering trees being felled in much-loved wood, Piles Coppice, under a new scheme to manage the area.

Other locals say they are disappointed to see work take place, claiming ecologists and the wider public support a campaign against intervention.

But Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, the charity behind the work, say it is vital to help wildlife and protect the wood's long-term future - and hit out against what it views as "misinformation" about the project.

Lisa Male, who lives in nearby Binley Woods, said she couldn't believe it when she heard chainsaws while walking in Piles Coppice last Wednesday (8 February.)

She said she wasn't aware work would be taking place and said it wasn't happening in 'trial plots' which had been shared with local groups.

"When I arrived on the scene and witnessed 3 contractors actually felling the trees in an area that I knew was not one of the trial plots I was very angry and upset and pleaded with them to stop," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS.)

Responding to the news, a group called the Friends of Piles Coppice who oppose intervention said they are "extremely disappointed" at the Trust's work to fell trees in the wood.

In a statement, the group said the "irreplaceable" trees are the habitats of rare birds and moths, and claimed they are worth thousands of pounds in amenity value and carbon storage.

"For the last few years, there has been a growing campaign opposing any intervention in this ancient and very important woodland," the Friends said.

"Over 2000 people have objected to trees being felled and eminent woodland ecologists have advised against it."

A Change.org petition to 'Save Piles Coppice' has 2,259 signatures and a petition signed by 1,500 was presented to Parliament in 2020.

Friends of Piles Coppice also claimed the Trust had "stifled" locals and ignored promises last summer to work with locals to determine where trees would be cut down in the wood.

They said: "Local people have been stifled or ignored and denied any right of reply or debate.

"The Warwickshire Wildlife Trust agreed with the Forestry Commission that they would work with local Tree Wardens who know the wood and also a Warwickshire County ecologist to decide where the trial areas should be.

"This would have been in hidden areas near the edges of the wood and under no circumstances on the beautiful main pathway leading through the centre of the wood, the area that was subjected to the recent tree felling."

They also accused the Trust of failing to protect its own trees while speaking out against HS2.