National Trust in 'health and safety' tree-felling row
The National Trust has been accused of "health and safety paranoia" for felling a swathe of historic trees near a stately home.
It has authorised tree surgeons to begin chopping down a number of 170-year-old beeches after experts warned they were at the end of their lifespan.
Officials are worried that the roadside trees at Kingston Lacy - one of the grandest country houses in Dorset - could blow over on to passing cars.
But environmentalists claimed the Trust was over-reacting.
Rodney Legg, chairman of the British Open Spaces Society, said: "I am aware of many beech trees that are 200 years older than these ones, so you could say that these are healthy and of robust middle age.
"I think this is health and safety paranoia on the part of the National Trust. Who's to say that any tree in Britain is safe from falling down?
"A tree is only likely to come down in the most extreme weather conditions."
He added: "We may as well start demolishing houses that are built next to roads as it could be argued a tile or brick could fly off in high winds and kill someone. Life has risks but felling a few historic trees is not going to make a huge difference to the safety of the planet in the grand scheme of things."
Kingston Lacy in Wimborne was the seat of the Bankes family - who previously lived in Corfe Castle - between the 17th and 20th centuries.
In 1835 William John Bankes, a renowned traveller and collector of art, planted an avenue of 731 beeches down the B3082.
Bankes, a friend of Lord Byron who described him as "the father of all mischief", placed 365 trees on one side and 366 on the other to represent the days of a normal year and a leap year.
They have become a famous site for residents as well as the 180,000 people who visit each year.
Since the 1970s the National Trust, which now owns Kingston Lacy, has felled a couple of trees annually for safety reasons.
But this year it has identified 21 which should come down, leaving 605 standing.
Mr Legg said no trees had fallen victim to the weather since 1989, when one came down in a severe storm.
Peter Samson, head warden at the Kingston Lacy estate, said the decision was taken on the advice of tree experts.
"We monitor the beech trees once a month and then a full assessment is carried out bi-annually," he said.
"We have just had a full assessment and the recommendation was to fell 21 trees and cut dead wood and diseased branches off a further 70.
"Due to climate change and the increasing demand of health and safety we have to make a decision to remove them. The last time a full tree came down naturally was following the 1989 storms but branches with diameters of 18-inches have come down since then.
"Beech trees only generally live for 150 years so these have already exceeded this so are coming to end of their natural life."
Mr Samson said the lost trees will be replaced with similar looking Hornbeam trees as they are more robust.
"Our intention is to replant the avenue with hornbeams - most people will not be able to tell the difference as they look similar to beeches," he said.
"Hornbeams will be safer next to the road and less likely to cause a problem with health and safety in years to come."
