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23
Oct
Trees felled at Harrogate's Great Yorkshire Showground
Eighteen trees have been felled at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.
A concerned reader alerted the Stray Ferret to the fallen trees and wondered why they had been removed.
We asked the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which owns the showground, how many trees had been felled, why they were removed, and if they would be replaced.
The farming charity said the felling was part of a long-running agreement with Kippax which manufactures cricket bats.
The company, which is based at Methley, near Leeds, grows willow trees to create bats in their own woodlands and on privately-owned land across Yorkshire
The society added that Kippax has planted 25 new trees to replace the 18 lost willow trees on its lands.
Society chief executive Allister Nixon said:
We recognise there is always public concern about trees on the showground. The society agreed to allow Kippax which is a Methley-based manufacturer of cricket bats, to plant 18 willow trees in the 1990s.
It was always planned that they would be harvested upon maturity and Kippax obtained a felling licence from the Forestry Commission to undertake this work. The wood is being used to make new cricket bats.
The trees have been maintained throughout their life by Kippax who have already planted more than 25 new trees prior to the felling of the mature trees.
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