Rožnov cut down trees for the lookout tower, allegedly unlawfully

photo: Jiří Škrobák

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm (Vsetín Region) - Rožnov pod Radhoštěm allegedly cut down 29 trees due to the construction of a lookout tower based on the plans of architect Dušan Jurkovič; it is said that more than a hundred trees are expected to be felled in total. Local opposition and environmentalists claim that the town hall acted in violation of the law, writes today’s supplement of Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD) for the Zlín Region. According to the town hall, the trees are not being cut down because of the lookout tower, but because of a future forest park. The city recently completed the lookout tower at a cost of about 10 million crowns, which is expected to be opened in the spring.
    The 18-meter-high lookout tower was built on Karlův Hill above the Wallachian village, which is part of the open-air museum of the Wallachian Museum in Nature. It was constructed according to Jurkovič's design from 1896. The main goal of Rožnov was to make the town more attractive and attract more tourists or admirers of Jurkovič's architectural style. However, even before its opening, the project is arousing emotions. The opposition criticized the intention last year, and now it is troubled by the felling of trees.
    "They cut down and removed trees without our knowledge. So I measured the stumps that remained. According to the methodology of the environmental inspection, I concluded that at a measured height of 130 centimeters, 14 trees should have a trunk circumference greater than 80 centimeters," described opposition councilor František Šulgan (Green Party), who is also a member of the committee of the Czech Union for Nature Conservation Radhošt. According to the newspaper, the town hall should have a special permit for the felling of such trees. "We will submit a report to the environmental inspection to investigate the situation," added Šulgan.
    According to MfD, the town hall submitted a request to the county office for land modification on Karlův Hill, which is not designated as a forest but as other land, for a forest park. The county issued a permit for the selective cutting of existing trees and the planting of new trees, shrubs, and the restoration of the lawn. At the same time, plans are being made for the placement of flat natural stones. "Based on this decision and in accordance with the Nature and Landscape Protection Act, we proceeded with the felling of 29 trees that did not require additional cutting permission," stated Deputy Mayor Alois Vychodil (ODS).
    According to Vychodil, the existing growth is partly invasive, and the trees that excessively thicken the growth and are damaged will be removed. However, according to Šulgan, the felling of a hundred trees may not be enough. "There is a lack of justification for the intention of why the trees actually need to be cut down," said Šulgan to the newspaper. According to the town hall, the trees are not being felled because they obstruct the view from the new pride of the city, but precisely because of the planned forest park. The future of other trees will be decided by an administrative process involving environmentalists.