Clear-cutting at the cemetery

Tree felling: now even the Pope is being informed

Because the Catholic parish of Oberwart has felled 41 trees, the "friends of trees" want to inform Pope Francis of this.

(Bild: AP)

The Catholic parish of Oberwart has felled a total of 41 trees in the cemetery, in front of the church and in the parish garden. A conflict has now broken out between tree lovers and the church over the reason for the clearing. While the church claims that the trees were diseased, the tree lovers refer to a statement that the church needs wood for heating. Now they even want to inform Pope Francis about the case.

It sounds a bit like a movie that the Catholic parish of Oberwart has to cut down trees in order to have wood for heating in winter. According to the Oberwarter Baumfreude - an action group that has been campaigning for the protection and preservation of trees for years - this is the case, as spokesman Andrzej Krasnowiecki confirms: "When we asked why the trees were felled, the rectory told us that the parish needed firewood".

A number of conifers were recently felled in the Catholic cemetery in Oberwart.

(Bild: Fenz Carina)

Trees as shelter and breeding ground for birds
The excitement among tree lovers and visitors to the cemetery is correspondingly great. Specifically, 41 trees were felled in the cemetery, in front of the church and in the vicarage garden. "For decades, the trees in the cemetery provided shelter and were also an important breeding ground for birds," says Krasnowiecki. As an action group, we must draw attention to this indiscriminate clear-cutting, but little can be achieved if this clearing is not stopped.

Tree lovers call again for tree protection law
That is why Krasnowiecki is once again calling for a tree protection law for Burgenland, as the Greens have already tried twice in the provincial parliament without success. If this comes into force, no more trees - even on private land - may be felled without permission. The fuss caused by the tree lovers is also causing trouble in the parish itself.

Parish did not want to comment
When asked by the "Krone", the rectory did not want to make a public statement. However, the cemetery administrator justified the uprooting as follows: There were no breeding sites or nests on the felled trees. It is also not true that the trees were felled because the parish needed firewood. In addition, the trees are no protection against heat because no burials are carried out in that part of the cemetery. A forester has confirmed that the trees are diseased. After consultation with a tree expert, the trees will be replanted.

The Catholic cemetery is quite bare after a row of trees was felled.

(Bild: Carina Fenz)

Tree lovers want to send a letter to the Pope
It was also heard around the parish that the "dictatorship of the tree friends is preventing people from planting new trees in future". The tree friends themselves now want to write a letter to the Pope personally, as he has already urged the international community to make more efforts to limit climate change. Anyone who would like to write a letter to the Holy Father can also do so by e-mail at [e-mail].