healingwords: poetry for the soul

Sometimes trees need to be felled, they may be diseased or growing in a way that can cause danger. This tree was on a loose bank by a country track used to access agricultural terraces and subsidence on the banks was loosening the tree roots. However many trees are felled which could be saved, such as the hundreds lost in Cities, a practice which is now being challenged or in hedgerows which need not be removed. Currently hundreds of precious trees are being felled in ancient woodlands for the HS2 rail project, even before this project has fully passed all legal hurdles. Once gone they are lost. 

Today is Earth Day, an annual event celebrated throughout the world since 1970 to show support for environmental protection of our Earth, its habitat, flora and animals. The news, internet and areas not under lockdown are full of messages and events calling for more resources and action to be taken to protect our world. The corona virus crisis and the slowdown in economic activity and travel has reminded us how polluted our normal lifestyle is for the planet and how quickly change can be affected. Whilst we hope that lessons can be learned as the dreadful pandemic hits countries across the world, in one small wood in Warwickshire nothing has changed. Under Government instruction, taking advantage of the lockdown and lack of news coverage, HS2 contractors are continuing to fell trees and destroy ancient woodlands during the nesting season. They appear to not even be following the agreed environmental protection for soil recovery and bird and wildlife preservation and there is growing ev...

Whilst I try to stay positive about the strange situation we are living through my calm has been broken by news from England. The HS2 rail works are going ahead despite the lock down and trees are being felled in Warwickshire woods. One of these woods is especially important to me and my family and I am both enraged and heartbroken at the loss of ancient oaks and other trees in these and other woods. The protesters who have been working for months to protect these woods have been dispersed under the emergency rules, some arrested and others still trying to drum up press coverage of the continued work whilst it seems the contractors are taking advantage of the quiet to go ahead with the controversial tree felling. I hope it is not too late for all the trees threatened by this work but for some, it is already too late. 

Crackley Woods near Kenilworth is one of 11 ancient woodlands in Warwickshire and Staffordshire threatened with tree removal by the HS2 rail building works. A long campaign has been fought to stop this damage and this week a partial reprieve has been won with work partly halted whilst a review into the project is carried out. This is very good news, some woods will remain untouched until Autumn 2020 whilst others will have clearing work continue for site access with a promise not to fell ancient trees. However the danger to these woodlands is still there, the trees can not be replaced or the environment moved and HS2 may yet go ahead and the woods remain in the way.  I am grateful to all the campaigners, camping out in the woods, publicising the case and leading peaceful protests.