More than 13.9 million trees felled in Scotland for wind development, 2000–2019

I have no doubt that some will say I am re-blogging anti-environmental propaganda, as this comes from a group which blows hard against wind farms. My suspicion is that this blog is just that

BUT

We can ignore the blog and its comments and go behind it to the FOI (Freedom of Information) request.Here it is so you needn’t read the blog

https://docs.wind-watch.org/Scottish-Forestry-FoI-19-02646.pdf

They asked for two things

1. The number trees felled
2. The area of felled trees

Here is part of the answer

I enclose some of the information you requested.
Specifically data covering renewable developments on Scotland’s national forests and lands,
which is managed on behalf of Scottish Ministers by Forestry and Land Scotland.
The area of felled trees in hectares, from 2000 (the date when the first scheme was developed, is  6,994 hectares.

Based on the average number of trees per hectare, of 2000, this gives an estimated total of 13.9M.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish
Government does not have some of the information you have requested. Namely data on
renewable developments on privately owned woodlands.

Thus , excluding wind farms on privately owned woodlands, we end up with figures

6994 hectares were felled

13.9 million trees were felled.

I suggest another FOI request be made for windfarms on peat bogs, especially in the Flow Country.

Now this is just Scotland.

It would be interesting to get the figures for England  and Wlaes on how many trees have felled, hectares of farmland lost, and hectares of moorland and peatbog affected.

This raises some serious questions with the encouragement from all quarters at present to plant millions of trees, whether from Green Groups, the Government or even Scottish golf Course owners like a certain Mr Trump.

There is something very concerning about this and it is scarcely very green!

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Here’s the original blog if you want to read it!!!!

More than 13.9 million trees felled in Scotland for wind development, 2000–2019

 

Thank you for your request dated 26 November and received on the 5 December and the clarification dated 19 December 2019 under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs). You asked for: a) the number of trees felled for all

Source: More than 13.9 million trees felled in Scotland for wind development, 2000–2019