Operation Treewatch

For a week Oxford FoE, EF! and concerned residents used direct action tactics to stop trees being cut down indiscriminately. Activists twice brought work to a standstill by climbing into the trees which were due to be cut down and locking onto the machinery of the tree 'surgeons'. Some surgeons were escorted away by police when protesters climbed into trees on the centra! reservation. EF!ers have managed to stop work despite an unreasonably large police presence - 6 police vans and 20-30 police for 16 protesters on one day. However, no arrests have been made, the protesters will continue until the Department of Transport agrees to suspend work completely. The Department is quoted as saying the trees were being cut down as they were either a hazard or dying (well, they’re dead now). A further action at 4.30am on Saturday 26th March did not manage to stop the remaining trees from being cut down.

The DoT makes great show of the number of trees it plants every year (they publish figures) but cannot tell us how many they destroy. Ironically, of course the trees along Oxford Ring Road were planted by the DoT when they built the road!

New DoT rules are leading to large-scale destruction of trees 16 metres along both sides of all major roads. They also have a blanket policy of removing various species including indigenous ones such as Elm, Cherry and Willow, even if perfectly healthy.

Oxford EF! have compiled a briefing document, which is available from them.