Workers were all set to start felling a threatened beech tree in a North Yorkshire village but before they could get started one protestor had managed to climb it and set up camp in its branches.

So started an ongoing protest which can only be described as quintessentially English.

According to the tree’s Twitter account the 100 year old beech, once beating heart of Irton village, was “publicly executed 4th October 2011 by North Yorkshire County Council”.

View from the tree

EVER since Mark “Snoz” Snow scaled a threatened historic beech tree in Irton, a small band of die-hard supporters has stood by him and given him moral support.

The tree was due to be felled on Tuesday but before contractors could lift the axe Mr Snow took up position in its branches.

Sandy Moss, from Falsgrave in Scarborough, has travelled to the village every day since because she believes in what he is trying to do.

She said: “People have been really good to him – they’ve supplied him with food and drink. He’s got lots of support through the night.

“The tree should stay, I don’t think it’s doing any harm to anybody, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

She added that if this tree was chopped down then others would be in danger. She said: “Next year, if people want trees cut down they will say that it happened here.”

Lizzie Seetal, from Filey, had written a tribute to the beech tree and fixed it to the trunk alongside photographs and other items left by supporters.

She said she fully supported what Mr Snow was trying to do. She added: “We just wanted to support him. This tree is like a teenager – it’s not a big tree. I wrote the tribute to the tree.

“I think it’s fantastic what he is doing. If I didn’t have Steve I’d be up there marrying him.”

Richard Harrison, who lives in Irton, said he admired what Mr Snow was trying to achieve. He added: “If I was younger myself I’d be up there with him. A lot of people would take his place.”

He said that the story was in the national spotlight for a good reason. He added: “He gives you confidence to see it to a successful conclusion. It proves to other people in other parts of the country if they want something they can fight for it.”

The protest in Irton’s Main Street began at 9.15am on Tuesday when Mr Snow, of Falsgrave, climbed the tree at 9.15am and refused to come down, thwarting the efforts of a North Yorkshire County Council team sent to cut it down.

Mr Snow delighted villagers who have battled for six years to preserve the tree by vowing to remain in the branches for “as long as it takes” to save the 55ft beech.

The tree has been the subject of a long-running legal battle between villagers, two local authorities and a nearby homeowner, who successfully applied to a judge to have the beech cut down.

It was first covered by the Evening News in 2005.

STORYextra:

Nearby homeowners Gerald and Norah Hazelwood successfully applied to a judge to have the tree felled after they said its roots were damaging their wall and drains.

It was given a tree preservation order in December 2007. They have declined to comment.

Is beech really so damaging?

PEACE and quiet in a Scarborough village is regularly shattered by passing motorists honking their horns in support of an on-going, and quintessentially English, protest.

Last night was Mark “Snoz” Snow’s third in the branches of a 100-year-old beech tree which he is trying to save from the axe. It was due to be felled on Tuesday and North Yorkshire County Council is currently taking legal action to end the protest and force Mr Snow back down to earth.

A spokesman said that, so far, there has been no progress. He added: “That’s still our line and that is what we are doing.”

Supporters of the tree believe that it is in good health and it is understood that bats, a protected species, may have made it their home.

The tree had been the subject of a five-year battle after nearby homeowners first applied to have it removed – earlier this month a judge ruled in favour of the county council and ordered its removal.

Sue Wherrett, from York, said that overturning a tree preservation order (TPO) had set a dangerous precedent which could place many more healthy trees in danger of removal.

She added: “After 40 years of growth a beech tree’s roots grow only at a rate of a foot over several decades.

“Additionally it is well documented that a beech tree’s roots do not penetrate deep into the soil, it is top-loaded, one only has to look at the photographs taken at Irton to see this is true. It’s not too late to get a stay of execution for this tree.”

Mr Snow said he would stay in the tree until it was saved. He added: “As long as it takes to save the tree. There is a lot of people who want to take my place.”

He said that the support from people was brilliant. He said: “I wouldn’t be doing this without that.”

And he added he was feeling quite comfortable on his perch despite occasional rain showers. He said: “It rained a little bit but I had a tarpaulin and umbrellas.”

From The Scarborough Evening News on Friday, September 23, 2011.

Tree protester demands answers

A PROTESTER who is the latest to sit in the branches of a threatened tree in Irton yesterday demanded answers to four questions – one of which was aimed squarely at the Prime Minister – before she leaves her leafy home.

The 17-year-old Bridlington girl, who is known only as Beech Nut, had been there since Friday and is the fifth treetop protester since the start of the sit-in two weeks ago today.

She said that a special appeal had also been set up. She said: “I am here to launch the Irton Tree Foundation and would like to appeal for any help with our cause.”

Beech Nut said she wanted to dispel any misconceptions that the protest had cost council taxpayers £250,000 – because their protest began after the decision to fell the tree had been taken.

She added that, while they did not roost in the tree, bats used it as a primary feeding site. She said: “I’d like to see the results of a reputable bat survey.”

Beech Nut said that the villagers had been treated with disrespect and deserved answers. She asked: “Has the evidence been seen by a high court judge?”

And in a question directed at Prime Minister David Cameron she asked about the validity of tree preservation orders – the beech tree was the subject of an order but it was overruled by a judge. She said: “It’s not just about this tree, in this village, it’s about all trees in England.”

A North Yorkshire County Council representative read out a statement on Friday which said that anyone preventing the tree felling, which is likely to take place by the end of this week, could face a prison sentence.

Tree supporters have taken separate legal advice to challenge the court decision and are waiting to hear the results.

Irton resident David Parker said that they would continue the protest until the first “chainsaw touched the trunk”. He added: “We’ve been told that some time this week the tree will definitely be felled but no official person has come here so far.”

He said that they would continue to look into every legal avenue that they possibly could. He said: “We are quite within our rights to do so. We have a right to object peacefully against something we disagree with. We will act within the law.”

The tree has been the subject of a long running legal battle between villagers, two local authorities and a nearby homeowner, who successfully applied to a judge to have the beech cut down. It was first covered by the Evening News in 2005.

STORYextra:

Nearby homeowners Gerald and Norah Hazelwood successfully applied to a judge to have the tree felled after they said its roots were damaging their wall and drains.

It was given a tree preservation order by Scarborough Council in December 2007.

From the Scarborough Evening News on Tuesday, October 4, 2011.