It was a sad day for many residents of Irton today, October 4th, 2011. This is because a beech tree they had been trying to save for over five years was finally felled by the council. The order to fell it was because the tree's roots were reportedly a threat to a drain and wall, but village campaigners hoped there would be some other way to remedy the situation, and launched a lengthy campaign to try and save it.
The World Media Alerted to Irton Beech Tree Protest
The campaign attracted the attention of the national and world media two weeks ago on September 19th, when the initial attempt to fell it was blocked by a people protest around the tree. Many villagers said they felt emotionally attached to the century-old tree, as it was the only one in Main Street, in the middle of the village, and they'd seen it every day of their lives.
One campaigner, Mark 'Snoz' Snow, climbed up the tree and camped up there for several nights to prevent the tree being felled at a quiet time. When Snow descended, several other protesters took turns up the tree, culminating in a few nights spent up there by Vicki 'Beech Nut' Walsh.
However, the council blocked the tree off this morning, and after Walsh reluctantly descended the tree was felled. Some villagers were in tears as they watched the sad ending to their campaign.
A fortnight of media interest in the story will probably end now, and the village will return to normal, albeit without the presence of its most famous landmark.
But hopefully the Irton beech tree campaign will not have been in vain.
The Irton Beech Tree Legacy
Council and government leaders will hopefully have seen that most people do not want to destroy the environment in their backyards.
Nature and wildlife are vital to many people's quality of life, and should be protected as much as possible.
If we are trying to save the Amazon forest and others like it in the world from destruction, surely we should lead by example and preserve as many of our own trees as well.
Further Reading:
- Malcolm Barker provided details of the whole five year Tale of the Tree in the Yorkshire Post.
- York Stories asked why the people moved into the house knowing there was a big tree next to it, and whether their complaint should have been put above the interests of the vast majority of villagers. It also provides links to several other articles about the story.
Marc Latham - Doctor of Philosophy and experienced freelance writer searching for truth and meaning, and reporting it in clear and concise copy.
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