FORESTRY officials have defended the felling of diseased trees in the wake of criticism from red squirrel activists. 

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) plans to cut down trees in what conservationists claim is one of the only places where native squirrels are now found in Gwynedd, in the north of Wales.

However, the agency has insisted the work is necessary for public safety reasons, and to prevent disease in larch trees.

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The Red Squirrel Trust Wales has called for more conservation measures to be put in place at the location near Bangor.

The trust has lodged a petition with the Senedd flagging its concerns over proposals to fell trees at Parc y Bwlch. The forestry is on a hillside called Moel y Ci, between Bangor and Bethesda.

The squirrel trust has captured confirmed sightings of the animals on camera, and said there should be monitoring put in place.

NRW said the work at Parc y Bwlch was agreed following a consultation two years ago.

"This work is quite important here, to build a resilient forest that's sustainable and is good for all types of wildlife we have there," Dylan Williams, the land and assets manager for NRW in north west Wales, told the BBC. 

"The forest itself in parts is very mature and the trees are starting to become unsafe.

"Also a good proportion of the forest here is made of larch, which is affected by larch dieback disease.

"It's important that we fell these trees and replace them with better species for all types of wildlife."

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The proposals at Parc y Bwlch would see about a quarter of the trees felled, starting in 2024.

The squirrel trust said monitoring needs to be put in place for a better understanding about the population in the forestry, and more discussions are needed on how the squirrels there can be protected.

NRW officials have met the trust, but Dr Craig Shuttleworth said he felt their advice was not being heard.

The trust's leading expert told the national broadcaster: "They kind of expect us to keep conserving red squirrels, whilst they keep felling without any conscience about what the impact would be on our project and on this really rare species."

"I think the answer is to move forward with a precautionary approach," he added.

"Start listening to the red squirrel project, who have been working in north Wales for 25 years.

"We understand the situation with red squirrels better than anybody. Work in partnership - and be prepared to change your plans if someone can give you a compelling reason, an ecological reason, as to why your plans have to be modified."