Group claims Coillte tree felling will damage ecology

COILLTE have found themselves on a collision path with locals in west Cork objecting to the felling of trees around Europe’s first marine nature reserve.

A group called the Lough Hyne Trust is arguing the removal of trees will damage animal habitats in the woodland and expose others to wind gusts that will cause more native species to fall.

They also fear a run-off from brush left behind could seep into Lough Hyne’s fragile ecosystem through streams that run through the forestry.

Lough Hyne — a marine biologist paradise with its varied flora and fauna provides a continuing fascination for researchers from both Irish and British universities — is the largest inland saltwater lake in Europe. It is linked to the Atlantic by a narrow channel called The Rapids.

The lake is located five kms south west of Skibbereen, off the main route to Baltimore. The trees planned for felling are on lands deemed a special area of conservation (SAC).

Coillte, however, denies its planned moves will effect local ecology. It highlights the need to fell woodland behind Knockomagh Wood and, in the longer term, almost a hectare of spruce trees at Knockomagh Wood as they are reaching a critical height and are “beginning to blow over”.

“We have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the public as these trees are a potential hazard,” said Coillte district manager Pádraig O’Tuama. If the trees are left to fall naturally, he claimed, their roots could damage pathways used by walkers.

Discussions are under way between Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to discuss the possibility of felling the non-native larch and spruce behind Knockomagh wood as the woodland is owned by NPWS.

They will also discuss the potential felling of spruce at Knockomagh woodlands in the coming years.

Coillte owns all the trees as they planted them on the sites before it was taken over by NPWS. It concedes the woodland behind Knockomagh, beyond Holy Well, is “a difficult, steep site” and may not even be suitable for clear felling. Once they fell the trees, they want to replace them with native species.

The Lough Hyne Trust accused Coillte and the NPWS of failing to consult with locals.

Pádraig O’Tuama denies this strongly. “I have give the stakeholders a copy of our proposed District Strategic Plan for 2006-1010 and also for 2011-2015,” he said.