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Tree-felling plan upsets locals
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Plans to fell nearly 400 trees on the outskirts of Exeter have upset and angered local residents.
The trees, which include mature oaks, are being removed by the Devon landowner, the Earl of Iddesleigh.
He said the action was necessary after the Highways Agency said some of the trees could be unsafe.
But people living nearby said only a handful needed to be felled. They are trying to obtain tree preservation orders on as many as possible.
Nick Baker, a tree warden for Brampford Speke and Upton Pyne, said cutting down hundreds of trees will completely change the shape of the valley.
"Even if he replants them all, it will be 50 years before you get trees back like this," Mr Baker said.
Lord Iddesleigh told BBC News the country's litigious culture was a driving factor.
"In the past before we had a system where everyone sues everyone for everything, people perceived a tree falling down as an act of God and not an act of the landlord," he said.
"What are they going to say if one of them gets squashed - is it an act of God or is it my fault for not taking responsible action?"
The Forestry Commission is considering whether to approve a licence to fell the trees.
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