Coillte, the State forestry company, was fined a total of €5,580 at Rathdrum Court yesterday for felling 186 Scots Pine trees in a sensitive conservation area without a felling licence.
Judge Donnachadh Ó Buachalla was told Kilnamanagh Mór, Deputy's Pass and Glenealy Woods formed an important habitat for buzzards and red squirrels.
Coillte, which fells nine million trees annually under licence from the Forestry Service of the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources, pleaded guilty to the offences which occurred in January and February last year.
Mr Fergus Moore, from the Forestry Service, told the court that on February 11th last year Coillte informed them that they had carried out felling in the area. They knew they should not have carried out the felling. He visited the area the following week with officials from Dúchas and Coillte and was shocked at the extent of the felling that had taken place.
Mr Denis Hipwell said the maximum fine would be at most €11,999 for a deliberate or flagrant breach but he suggested that was not what happened in this case. He said a breakdown in communications had occurred.
Coillte readily admitted and regretted what had happened.
Judge Ó Buachalla imposed a fine of €30 per tree for the 186 trees instead of the maximum of €63.49 per tree allowed under the 1998 Act. Coillte was also ordered to pay €1,500 expenses.