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Polish trees massacre

Rob McBride - The Tree Hunter (.com)

Having recently ‘met’ Dab Jozef in Wisinowa (Feb. 2017) – winner of European tree of the year 2017 – I saw just how important these culturally significant trees are to the Polish nation. Dab Jozef, as we now know, played a huge part in saving one Jewish family from the oppression of the Nazi’s in WWII. Many more trees right across Poland have their own ‘story’ and have other equally important roles to play in enriching our lives; be it from actually providing and cleansing the air we breathe to helping us fight the more frequent flooding we are experiencing, to combating climate change. You do not have to be a ‘Tree Hugger’ to truly understand just how important trees are to us and our shared planet. Urban trees are now at the front line of this battle with pollution and toxins in our environment and without them it is the children who will suffer the most as has been seen across the world with the rise in respiratory problems. Forward thinking politicians, governments and developers understand this too as we saw in Wales recently.

Here Dagma Bak from Klub Gaja expalins to me the Polish environmental law change that has caused this mass destruction of Polish trees.

With the Brimmon Oak – which was runner-up to Dab Jozef - we worked WITH the politicians & Government to provide a satisfactory solution to all. The new road is being built AND the 500 year old ancient oak tree was saved. By being practical, sensible and pragmatic. We did not want to stop the road project merely point out to planners, developers and government that this tree was significantly important to the Welsh nation with its historic connection to the Jones family going back generations and being a ‘working’ (pollarded) tree.

Fell trees sustainable, yes. Re-plant forestry, yes. Cut down any tree, anywhere, anytime without good reason, NO! Acting this way is at your own peril. Political & corporate greed and arrogance will not sustain us long term. Short term thinking is for short-term people.

LATEST UPDATE: Greenpeace Poland have sent me a message today.

Thankfully, we have some great news! Thanks to incredible pressure from civil society, our MPs challenged that awful law, took amendments (proposed by us and other NGOs) and we're on track to change it. That means, the trees will be safe soon! Greetings!

READ MORE > From the Guardian journalist Christian Davies in Warsaw reports here >

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Visit Greenpeace Polska >

At the beginning of December 2016. Greenpeace Poland and Greenmind Foundation informed the public of projects three laws prepared in the Ministry of the environment and against nature protection system in Poland. The Ministry denied the existence of these projects, however, two of them-amendments to the law on protection of nature and environmental law-were in the Parliament as parliamentary projects. A draft amendment to the law on nature protection in just a few days, without any public consultation, passed all the legislative path, at the end of December to be signed by the President of the Republic. Amendment to virtually drained the local governments ability to halt the felling of trees and shrubs. Instantly, without public hearings, was that Act-partite process each private person gives you the ability to cut up old and valuable trees on their own plot of land, without any licences and compensation.

Visit Greenpeace Polska >