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The devastating storm Lothar, which plunged Europe into chaos in 1999, is said to have given an East Swiss pensioner (88) a special idea. After the hurricane, he is said to have decided to transform his forest into a walnut plantation. Eight years later, he is said to have completely cut down the forest with heavy machinery for this undertaking. The bizarre story has now landed in court, as the «St. Galler Tagblatt» reported.
The prosecutor’s office in Kreuzlingen accused the forest owner of unjustified felling. A total fine of CHF 13,000 plus a fine of CHF 5,000 was required.
The prosecutor said on the first day of the hearing that the aerial photographs clearly showed that the forest had recovered between 1999 and 2008 and that in 2011 there were areas where there were clearly no trees. A radical clearcut followed in 2017. “It’s not a forest anymore, it’s like a desert,” said the responsible prosecutor against the photos on the first day of the trial, as the “St. Galler Tagblatt” further reported. There was a massive intervention. You can’t just take a cutting down forest and justifying it with a storm from 20 years ago.
“I still don’t know what I did wrong”
When the judge confronted the accused with the charges, he dismissed them. The allegations are wrong. He never cut down the forest. The reason for the decline of the forest and the proliferation of nut trees was natural selection. “I still don’t know what I did,” said the senior from Thurgau.
He would have had Lothar Nussbaume ahead of the storm. After the clean-up work, the birdseed caused the number of nut trees to triple. Furthermore, he did not carry out any forestry work, but hired various contractors. The goal was a mixed forest – with nut trees as the preferred species and by no means a monoculture. The defense asked for an acquittal on all counts. Walnut wood was his sole motivation for preferring walnut trees.
Ultimately, the judge wanted to see the situation with his own eyes. So it went out of the courtroom and into the woods. The suspect and the district forest ranger were on site. In the end, the eldest was found guilty. The 88-year-old was sentenced to a suspended fine of 70 daily rates of CHF 190 each, i.e. approximately CHF 13,000, for unauthorized felling of the forest and entering the forest with motor vehicles. In addition, there is a fine of CHF 5,000. (A)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
