News Shorts and Other Busyness

Long Live The King Of Trees

Squall 11, Autumn 1995, pg. 11.

The tree-dwellers of Windsor Great Park were celebrating in true style in mid October, after successfully preventing the death of 20 ancient oak trees.

The Duke of Edinburgh intended the trees to be cut down because they were too untidy for his ornamental pathway.

Whilst national media ran headlines like “Prince Philip spares surviving Windsor Oaks” (Daily Telegraph 10/10/95) and cited local authority and conservation group disapproval as the reason why they were saved, there was no doubt that the environmental activists who built tree-houses in the Oaks and lived in them, were the true saviours. They made sure the chain saws were stopped in time to ensure there were any trees left to save.

The tree-houses are now to be dismantled by activists and taken to the Newbury By-pass protest which is hotting up as both the Department of Transport and the dodgy handshake brigade seem determined to make sure the road goes ahead.