A FARMER who bulldozed more than 6,000 mature trees, some of them in a her- itage area, has been fined €10,000 and ordered to re- plant the woodland.
Judge Joseph Mangan 1m- posed the fine after hearing that the farmer sold — for €5,000 — the wood he chopped down at Cullane House, between Quin and Tulla.
In a landmark decision, Judge Mangan said he would give Cormac Quigley, of Bohegar in Brittas, County Limerick, two months to pay the money. Quigley pleaded guilty to the charge of felling the trees without a licence.
The court heard that the prosecution was taken by the Minister for Agriculture after Forest Service Inspec-
tor John Flanagan acted on a complaint that mature broadleaf trees were being cut down.
“T estimate that 6,375 trees were removed. The average age of the trees was 50 years and some were in a National Heritage area,’ the Inspector said.
In mitigation, Quigley told the court that he cut the trees because there was an ongo- ing problem with vandalism in that area of the wood- land.
“There were constantly drinking parties and stolen cars been driven around. I took some of the smaller trees out, so that thuggery would have no place to hide,” he said.
Local garda Vincent Walsh gave evidence of an “ongo- ing problem with joyriding in that area for the last five or
six years’. The problem had stopped since the farmer cut down the trees, but he added that he believed that the fact that Quigley had “put locked gates on the property, was probably the main _ deter- Ks) 0d
Asked whether he knew that he was supposed to have a licence to fell the trees, Quigley said that he did know, but did not know at the time.
When Judge Mangan asked what happened to the chopped trees, Quigley said he sold the wood for €5,000.
Prosecuting, State Solici- tor Martin Linnane said that the law “gives the Minister power to order the defend- ant to replant the trees and it is the Minister’s intention to make such an order in this or one