Macroom environmental group marks 30 years

Macroom District Environmental Group is in its 30th year as a community advocate for environmental justice.

Since 1984, we have campaigned for affordable housing for Ireland’s wildlife, especially our wild birds.

We have had an unprecedented volume of queries from the public concerning the tree-felling and wild-bird protection laws, since the February 12 storm.

Our Forestry Act, of 1946, is the current law in relation to the felling of trees. Section 4 prohibits without a licence the felling of any tree over 10 years of age. Licence applications are available from your local garda station.

Exceptions include ESB and Telecom lines-clearance; road-making and maintenance, and trees within 100 feet of an occupied building, but not a wall.

Additionally, dead or dying roadside trees are exempt from licence requirements — healthy roadside trees are legally protected and subject to the felling licensing process.

Our county forestry inspector, Eugene Curran, can be contacted at 028-23400 and will gladly offer guidance and respond promptly to complaints from the public.

Our National Parks and Wildlife Service (N.P.W.S.) regional manager, Declan O’Donnell, can be contacted at Ballydehob by the public, in any case of disturbance to our nesting wildbirds.

At M.D.E.G., it is our experience that complainants’ identities are maintained in confidence by both Eugene Curran and Declan O’Donnell.

The public, consciously or otherwise, needs nature no less than wild animals do.

Ted Cook (P.R.O.)

Kilbarry Townland

Macroom

Co Cork