Tree vandals slammed: Council demands woodland replanted after illegal mass felling
Weymouth Park Limited has been ordered to plant 6,000 trees at Fleet Wood in Chickerell by March next year.
Dorset Council is demanding that trees in Chickerell get replanted after they were illegally felled at Fleet Wood.
The woodland, which sits within a Section 41 Priority Habitat in the Dorset Natural Landscape and heritage coast, is safeguarded by a Tree Preservation Order confirmed in 1991.
Despite this, investigations revealed that individuals linked to Weymouth Park Ltd directed a felling that resulted in over half a hectare of protected woodland illegally cleared in January 2023.
This was far more than the Forestry Commission’s permission to thin 30% of the trees.
In February 2025, the company was fined a record £30,000 by Weymouth Magistrates' Court for breaching the licence.
Weymouth Park Ltd has now been ordered to replant 1,100 trees per hectare with native and ecologically suitable species including oak, beech, sycamore, wild cherry and small-leaved lime.
The company has until March 2026 - the end of the next planting season - to complete the work or face further punishment.
Cllr Shane Bartlett said: “This is about accountability and protecting Dorset’s natural heritage.
“Fleet Wood is an irreplaceable part of our landscape, and its restoration is essential. We expect Weymouth Park Ltd to deliver on their obligation.”