50 trees felled illegally so far this year

Fifty trees have been knocked down illegally since the start of this year, according to figures published today by the Department of Agriculture.

The figures showed that the number of illegal fellings rose from six in 1989 to 73 in 2002 before falling back to 63 last year.

Under the law, it is illegal to uproot any tree over 10 years old without obtaining a license.