From the UKMay 10, 2024 More than 1 million trees cut down for...

From the UK

May 10, 2024

More than 1 million trees cut down for wind turbines last year, 17 million over 24 years

According to new statistics, more than one million trees were chopped down on public land, which is the equivalent to 2,700 per day. Critics described this as “appalling” and warned that the rising number of wind farm developments are causing “irreparable damage” to the countryside.

A Scottish Government quango has commissioned the destruction of more than 17 million trees in the last 24 years in order to build wind farms on public land.

The Scottish Government has been blasted after it was revealed that more than one million trees have been chopped down on publicly owned land in just a year to make way for wind farms. This mass cutting down of trees came despite the SNP and Scottish Greens claiming environmental credentials.

Communities in rural Scotland have complained about massive turbines blighting their landscapes, with even more planned in areas such as Aberdeenshire and Moray. And now it has been revealed that a SNP quango is getting rid of healthy trees in order to make space for them.

According to new statistics, more than one million trees were chopped down on public land, which is the equivalent to 2,700 per day. Critics described this as “appalling” and warned that the rising number of wind farm developments are causing “irreparable damage” to the countryside.

In a freedom of information request, the Scottish Government estimated that 17.05 million trees had been cut down since 2000 in areas that are currently managed by public agency Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS). This is based on a figure of 8,503 hectares, using an average number of trees per hectare of 2,000.

According to analysis, it means that around 1.3 million more trees have been felled since last year when the figure stood at 15.7 million. There are also currently 24 wind farms in operation on FLS managed land, with three currently in construction, 13 at pre-construction stage and five in planning.

Alexander Burnett, Scottish Tory MSP for Aberdeenshire West, hit out at the government for causing “irreparable damage” to Scotland’s “spectacular countryside at a rapid rate of knots.” He added: “It’s appalling that in the space of a year, more than £1 million trees have been chopped down without any community consent.

“The sheer size of these developments and the damage which is being caused are making many areas inhabitable for people. Having met residents whose communities have been tarnished and are now dominated by wind farms, I’ve heard first-hand how their lives have been impacted on an industrial scale.

“The Scottish Government cannot continue to knock down trees at this substantial level otherwise, not only will areas of historic importance be jeopardised, but both residents and tourists will abandon these once wonderful places.”