An ancient woodland is under threat near Sheffield, England, with developers planning to clear trees to build a service station on the M1 motorway, according to a report in the sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk
Environmental campaigners say destroying 16 acres of Smithy Woods - a 12th Century woodland - will mean a significant piece of England's natural history will be lost forever and fear it will set a precedent for the destruction of ancient trees if the development is allowed to go ahead.
Developers say they will compensate for the lost ancient woodland by planting new trees. Andrew Long, chief executive of Extra, was quoted as saying, "the benefits which included 300 jobs and planting 60,000 trees would outweigh the loss of ‘low quality’ ancient woods as the site had been designed to ‘take the poorest woodland and protect the best areas."
How can saplings possibly compare to woodlands that have been standing for more than 700 years? Will you join me in urging the UK Government to intervene and save a piece of England's natural history and stop Smithy Woods from being cleared?
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