Trees near Czech Hřebeč tunnel: felling blocked by dispute

Authorities near the Hřebeč tunnel in Czechia cannot agree on whether dangerous trees can be felled along the road through the Hřebečovský Les nature reserve: the process has been held up by a dispute between the state forestry enterprise Lesy České republiky and the environmental association Rybák. In the summer of 2024, one of the trees fell onto a passing bus and injured the driver, and this year trees have fallen onto the road again, most recently in August, after which police closed the road to traffic.

Why the trees are dangerous

According to the enterprise, there are about 1,200 dangerous trees along the road through the reserve. “Powerful, overmature stands, mostly beech, on unstable geological ground are breaking down — trees suddenly fall over, roots and all, or snap. On the steep slopes, they fall straight onto the road,” said Lesy České republiky spokeswoman Eva Jouklová.

The dispute over the felling permit

The Rybák association filed its first complaint against the felling plans at the start of last year, and the Ministry of the Environment sent the case back to the regional authority for review. According to Jetmar, the enterprise failed to submit the required documents, and in July the regional authority suspended the proceedings. In the meantime, Lesy České republiky began felling some of the trees, considering them immediately dangerous and not subject to the exemption requirement — around 170 trees were cut down this way before the Czech Environmental Inspectorate halted the work. The enterprise then filed a new application, and the regional authority opened new administrative proceedings.

Jouklová disagrees: she says the enterprise acted under a document agreed with nature conservation authorities. The felling is currently on hold, and the regional authority has not yet issued a decision. “Lesy České republiky decided to act immediately for safety reasons. All the trees that have fallen onto the road so far were massive and could genuinely have threatened people's lives. That is exactly what we want to prevent with the planned felling,” said the enterprise's spokeswoman.

What local authorities think

For the surrounding towns, the situation is unwelcome. “The number of trees doesn't matter to me at all — what matters to me is that the road is safe. If an accident happens in the tunnel, ambulances and firefighters have no direct detour, and in that case we're talking about human lives,” said Václav Dokoupil (KDU-ČSL), deputy mayor of Moravská Třebová.

What happens next

The regional authority has commissioned a dendrological survey to help determine whether the felling is justified. A decision could come within about a month. “We want to resolve this somehow, because if something happens in the tunnel, this is the only detour route,” said Martin Vlasák, head of a department at the regional authority. He said proceedings of this kind generally take about two years.

Source: ekolist.cz