A criminal investigation is under way after a cluster of young
willow trees planted on Prince William’s Dartmoor estate were
deliberately poisoned with a powerful herbicide – an act described
by conservationists as “sabotage” and “deeply disturbing”.
The story, first reported by The
Guardian, concerns a restoration scheme on Duchy of
Cornwall land designed to stabilise peat, lock in carbon and reduce
flood risk on the high moor. The saplings, planted within fenced
enclosures on a Site of Special Scientific Interest, were intended
to help halt the long-term degradation of Dartmoor’s peatlands.
But experts now believe the trees were sprayed with glyphosate,
a widely used weedkiller that is fatal to young growth. All the
willows in the project area have died, prompting anger among
environmental groups and renewed scrutiny of long-running tensions
over Dartmoor’s management.
Natural England confirmed that it has launched an inquiry but
said it could not comment further while the investigation is
active.
Guy Shrubsole, environmental campaigner and author of The
Lost Rainforests of Britain, told The Guardian: “This
is sabotage aimed squarely at efforts to revive Dartmoor’s
ecosystems. The commons are already almost entirely bare of trees.
To see even these modest restoration attempts attacked is
profoundly alarming.”
He called for a united condemnation from farmers, graziers and
conservation bodies, warning that Dartmoor was at “a decisive
moment” in determining whether the landscape can be revived.
The Duchy of Cornwall said it was “dismayed” by the poisoning.
Emma Magee, the Duchy’s head of communities and nature, stressed
that woodland expansion and peat recovery remained central to its
long-term plans. “This action does not reflect the shared
commitment of Dartmoor’s community to restore and protect this
landscape,” she said.
The South West Peatland Partnership, which funded the planting,
described the act as an assault on the very people working to
repair Dartmoor’s fragile habitats. A spokesperson said the
affected areas would be replanted “as soon as practically
possible”, adding that using herbicide on protected ground “is an
attack on all those who live, work and depend on these moorland
environments”.
Local authorities and conservation groups are now appealing for
information as efforts continue to identify those responsible. The
poisoning has reignited a wider debate over land use on Dartmoor,
where environmental restoration, agricultural livelihoods and
public access frequently collide.
