For the activists in the Fechenheimer Wald, who initially want to prevent the clearing of 2.7 hectares of urban forest and the construction of the Riederwald tunnel in total, the postponement of the felling work announced on Friday by the Autobahn GmbH for the construction of the motorway gap closure between the A66 and A661 is im Frankfurt East an "important interim success".

They credit themselves with having achieved the shift with the occupation of numerous trees and the construction of tree platforms and houses.

And now they are optimistic that they will still be able to overturn the planned inner-city motorway project.

Mechthild Harting

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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"The cancellation of the clearing for this winter increases our chances of finally stopping the destruction of the forest and the construction of the A66 extension," said Malek Schumann, one of the activists who call themselves "tree protectors". In times of the climate crisis, no more highways should be built or expanded, said Schumann, especially not those whose plans came from 1963. "We demand that, Fridays for Future and the entire climate justice movement." Schumann announced that the activists would stay in the forest, "so that no trees fall next year either",

The Autobahn GmbH responsible for the construction and construction of the Riederwald tunnel announced on Monday at the request of the FAZ that it was not a failure that not all permits for the clearing in Teufelsbruch in the Fechenheim forest that were actually planned for this winter were available. The so-called early transfer of ownership of the urban forest to the federal authority is an agreement that must be in place before the start of the clearing work, but "based on previous experience in cooperation with the city of Frankfurt" it can also be concluded at short notice, according to the Autobahn GmbH. On the other hand, the occupation of the trees is to be seen more critically, which according to the GmbH "was not specifically foreseeable". Because this makes further public law orders necessary.This concerns "issues from the Hessian building regulations, the forest law and the right of assembly". To this end, “further details had to be clarified with the organizational units involved”.

AfD rumbles against activists

On Friday the authorities let the public know that the tree felling planned for this winter would have to be postponed by one year due to “pending permits”.

Because it is foreseeable, according to the GmbH, that the tree felling “cannot be completed in the remaining time window until the end of the felling season in February”.

In view of the impending conflict between tree occupiers and the federal authorities, some are already drawing parallels between the controversial Riederwaldtunnel motorway project in Frankfurt and the closing of the gap on the A49 in Central Hesse. For the further construction of this motorway, trees in the Dannenröder forest had to be felled last autumn amid violent protests by environmental and climate protectors. The forest had been besieged by tree occupiers for weeks and could only be cleared with massive efforts by the police.

The AfD parliamentary group in the Hessian state parliament is convinced that the postponement of clearing gives the “eco-extremists the opportunity to stage a second Dannenröder forest”.

The riots in Central Hesse should not be repeated.

The Frankfurt police must prevent "a 'fortress' from being built in the forest".

In Central Hesse, construction work is now underway to close the gap on the A 49.