Kinver Edge: Opposition to revived tree-felling plans

The National Trust described the woodland as "a pocket of wilderness that buzzes with life"

Revived plans to chop down trees in a "pocket of wilderness" have been opposed by walkers and horse riders.

The National Trust, which owns the land at Kinver Edge, Staffordshire, applied to clear some of it in 2019 to create more heathland, but the Covid pandemic put those plans on hold.

It has since put forward modified plans to clear non-native conifers, said to have reached the end of their life.

Critics say they oppose loss of trees and fear access will become limited.

The National Trust wants to fell approximately 19 hectares (47 acres) of conifers - roughly a third of the conifer plantation at Kinver Edge.

It said the trees had been planted as a crop and that it was important to restore lowland heath to support rare and under-threat wildlife such as adders, nightjar and woodlark.

It had the support of local Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, and Natural England, it said.

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More than 1,500 people have signed an online petition opposing the tree-felling.

A spokesperson for the protesters, Sue Groom, said: "Why destroy one habitat to create another?

"You can create lowland heath where there aren't areas of forest."

The petition states "the area is dubbed 'The Lungs of the Black Country' with good reason," and questions why trees will be lost at a time of climate change crisis.

It has also raised concerns about the possibility of parts of the land being fenced off after the felling.

Sue Groom said she was "devastated" that the woodland might go

Another objector is Stephen Wall, who runs a woodyard in the forest.

His father planted some of the conifers in the 1960s and he said: "It means so much more to me than people they bring in from the National Trust. They'll be here today and gone tomorrow."

Ewan Chapman from the National Trust said he understood that people enjoyed the woodland, but said: "This is an extremely rare opportunity to create extremely high quality nature-rich habitat, that both people and wildlife can enjoy in the future."

Consultation on the plans has now ended and they will be submitted to the Forestry Commission for a decision.