Prince William’s Dartmoor estate is facing a new blow as conservationists condemn the deliberate poisoning of young willow trees, calling it ‘criminal damage intended’.
The trees, planted on land in the Duchy of Cornwall as part of an ambitious project to slow peat erosion, store carbon and reduce the risk of flooding, have become the target of a criminal investigation, a Natural England spokesman confirmed, declining to give further details.
Environmentalist and author Guy Shrubsole slammed the attack and told The Guardian, “This is an outrageous act of sabotage which points a dagger at the heart of efforts to restore nature in this part of the country.
Dartmoor’s commons are almost treeless already, the result of centuries of sheep overgrazing.
To see even these tentative efforts to restore trees subject to deliberate vandalism is deeply disturbing, as is the failure to identify the perpetrator so far.”
Experts warn that Dartmoor is at a critical crossroads. “Do we choose to breathe life back into this landscape, or let it die?” said one campaigner, highlighting the importance of the moor’s peatlands, which act as vital carbon stores but have suffered decades of degradation from drainage and burning.
The targeted trees were planted to combat erosion, with their intricate root systems anchoring the fragile soil and preventing it from being washed away.
Local authorities and environmental groups have expressed outrage at the attack.
The Duchy of Cornwall expressed shock and communications manager Emma Magge said: “We are committed to working with our partners to secure a better future for Dartmoor and this latest action does not represent the collective commitment of the Estates community to achieve this.”
