Natural Resources Wales (NRW) reports that over 2,000 trees have been cut down from an eight-hectare area at Fairwood on the Gower peninsula in Swansea. Landowner Jeff Lane, 72, is appealing his conviction for illegally removing protected trees from a wooded area. When visiting the location, Andrew Wright of NRW informed the court that he discovered “blatant” and “shocking” damage. He stated that during a June 2019 check of the site, woodland authorities discovered areas with stumps and pieces of trees that had been removed. The following year, Mr. Ward saw others suffered damage that prevented their rehabilitation.

The majority of the trees, according to Mr. Lane of Old Forge, Fairwood, were entirely waterlogged and decaying when he purchased the land in 2017. He explained he “cut down rotten and decayed trees” in an attempt to improve the land. In addition, he said that nothing would grow there; as a result, he intended to drain the region. Defense counsel David Leathley said Mr. Lane had received misleading information. He made reference to NRW telling Mr. Lane he was doing a great job when they visited the site. Mark Chester, an arboricultural advisor, also questioned the number of trees that were felled, saying that he believed it was just 362, and that he had not seen any evidence that it had been as high as 2,000.