Coillte has been ordered to stop felling trees in a Co Tipperary forest after allegations that well-established oaks were being cut down.
The Department of Agriculture issued a direction to the company to stop all felling at Drumwood, Rossmore, Co Tipperary, until an investigation takes place.
The forestry company was granted a felling licence for the work but it was issued for Norway spruce and Sitka spruce – the trees most commonly grown in Ireland for commercial timber.
Local people reported seeing native Irish oaks among the trees removed and raised concerns with the Department of Agriculture.
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In an email sent to them on Wednesday afternoon, a senior official in the department’s forest service said a direction had been issued that the works cease.
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“The department is currently investigating the circumstances outlined in your correspondence and will take appropriate measures to ensure the licence conditions are being adhered to,” the official wrote.
The department confirmed the contents of the email but said in response to queries it could make no further comment at this stage.
Coillte said in a statement it was aware “an issue has arisen in relation to the felling licence issued by the department”.
“Coillte is engaging with the department to seek a resolution,” it said.
Alan Moore of Hedgerows Ireland was alerted to the situation by a local man familiar with the woods which are home to a variety of songbirds, including woodpeckers, and where the endangered Irish red squirrel has been spotted.
“Thanks to his vigilance we were able to alert the Forest Service, who have stopped work at the site and have mounted an investigation,” Moore said.
“We are deeply concerned about the reported damage to this native woodland and the apparently unlawful felling of semi-mature oak trees, and hope that this incident will prompt a wider review of the licensing and oversight of Coillte forest operations.”
However, Coillte said the works at Drumwood were “biodiversity-focused forest management works”.
“The works are based on the principles of continuous cover forestry, a close-to-nature forest management approach that maintains continuous woodland cover while gradually creating a more diverse forest structure through the selective removal of individual trees and small groups of trees from the forest canopy,” the statement said.
“The objective is to encourage natural regeneration, increase habitat diversity, and support improved biodiversity outcomes over time.”
It said Drumwood was part of Coillte’s Forests for Nature programme, under which forests are managed primarily to protect and enhance nature and biodiversity.
“The management of Drumwood will create a more structurally diverse, resilient woodland that will provide enhanced habitat for a wide range of native plants and wildlife into the future,” it said.
