THE naturalist Dr David Bellamy yesterday withdrew his support for the work of the Forestry Commission following its decision to allow the felling of nearly 300 historic oak trees at Pressmennan Wood in East Lothian.
His comments came as the campaign to save the historic wood was facing a damaging split in its ranks, following the expulsion of one its leading members.
Ms Marina Findlay was asked to resign immediately from the East Lothian Community Woodland Trust last night. Mr Graham White, the campaign group's spokesman, said it was because Ms Findlay ''consistently refused to agree to group policy decisions. and persisted in taking her own course of action and publicity''.
He said his organisation accepted there was a valid scientific argument for managing the wood by an appropriate amount of felling and replanting. He described Ms Findlay's position that no trees should be felled as not credible and one which could not be defended in a court of law.
Meanwhile, Dr Bellamy described the decision to permit felling as ''criminal'' and said he was particularly distressed it had been granted in an area only a few miles from the Dunbar birthplace of the world famous naturalist John Muir, regarded as the architect of conservation.
Dr Bellamy also attacked larger environmental groups for failing to offer financial support to the local campaign to save the trees.
''I really am very appalled that some of the other conservation groups with money have not come up with money to support the local group,'' he said.
A Forestry Commission spokesman described the withdrawal of Dr Bellamy's support as ''unfortunate''.
Earlier yesterday the trust launched an appeal to fund a possible legal battle in a bid to save some of the trees.
The trust will call for a judicial review of the Forestry Commission decision to give the green light to proposed felling on a thin strip of privately-owned land in the wood.
Its campaign claims the destruction of the trees will lead to the loss of the roosts of bats, a protected species under the EU habitats directive.
The trees, some as old as 400 years, are thought to be all that is left of ancient native woodlands which once covered the south-east of Scotland.
Mr White said: ''There is unlikely to be any felling now until the autumn as the bird breeding season is underway.''
He said he hoped the legal challenge would clarify questions over the Forestry Commission's management of Scottish woodlands.
The move came as police were called in to investigate claims that nails had been deliberately driven into one of the threatened trees in a bid to thwart those brought in to fell them.
Mr Andrew Vaughan, spokesman for woodland management company Eamonn Wall & Co, said all trees on the site were now being checked.
''We are worried about the safety angle. Anyone cutting a tree with a chain saw and hitting a nail could be seriously injured.''
He also said that work on the operation at Pressmennan would begin as soon as possible.
Trust campaigners said they knew nothing about the nails and were quick to distance themselves from any act which would cause physical harm.
Other activists camping on a site near the woods pledged to continue their protest to preserve the woodland.
Despite threats to remove them from a site outside a village neighbouring the wood, one protestor, Mr Jeff Colhoun, said the aim remained to save the trees.
He explained: ''I am surprised that the Forestry Commission are prepared to allow a criminal activity with regard to the destruction of this habitat, to take place. They are in breach of their own guidelines and in breach of European legislation.''
Mr Colhoun, who is banned from the land by means of an interim interdict, is among a handful of activists who have been camped near the forest since last October.
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