THE National Trust has responded to claims that it has 'sold its soul' by burning its own woods to heat its properties.

Visitor to the trust's Lydford Gorge and Castle Drogo Thomas Howard accused the estates of 'proudly felling large tracts of mature, healthy deciduous trees for appalling schemes such as wood burners and new signs.'

But the trust says it is removing conifer plantations and replanting them with native broadleaved species.

Worcestershire resident Mr Howard said the woods he remembered as a child as tranquil and unspoilt were no longer so.

'Modern life has now intruded with sawn trunks, clear, felled areas and the sound of chainsaws,' he said, following his recent holiday in Devon.

'This is not as good for the environment as the National Trust proclaims, as biomass is drastically reduced, woodland habitats destroyed and wildlife disturbed by incessant forestry.

'I suspect the only real reason is that the trust is aiming to save some cash by burning its own woods to heat its properties. I regret it has sold its soul in the process and we will not be returning to these properties.'

But general manager of the trust's Dartmoor properties Adrian Colston denied that any mature, healthy deciduous trees had been felled at either estate, only some areas of larch and other conifer species at Castle Drogo.

These ancient woodland sites would have historically contained broadleaved trees, he said, but were replaced with conifer plantations in the earlier part of the last century.

'It is our policy to remove conifers from such areas and then replant with native broadleaved species,' he added.

Felling of larch had been accelerated for plant health reasons as currently the west of Britain was suffering from a plant disease — sometimes known as Sudden Oak Death as it affects oaks in the US but here it affects larch and some other species such as rhododendrons.

'If our extensive areas of larch had become infected they would have acted as a huge source of infection for other woods as the spores are windborne,' said the general manager. 'Again these areas will be planted up with broadleaved woodland.'

Just this week people were asked to join in tree planting as part of the woodland management programme on the Castle Drogo estate.

Mr Colston said wood fuel boilers were installed at Drogo and Lydford so the trust could stop using oil and other fossil fuel-based energy sources, which contributed to climate change.

'However, we do not use broadleaved wood in these boilers — we are burning conifers, much of it from the work described. The money we are saving from not buying oil is being re-invested into our woodland work across Dartmoor to improve our broadleaved woodlands for wildlife.'